A Brave Huntsman of Remnant
by SebasOoalDemiurge
Summary: After a walk around Wano, Usopp finds himself thrust into a new world. Now, Usopp must find a way to return to the Strawhats no matter how long it takes. And on the way, maybe he can truly become a brave warrior, or in this world, a brave huntsman. Cover credit in profile.
1. Into Remnant

"Listen up, everyone!"

Usopp, Robin, Franky, and Zoro all listened intently to Kin'emon's explanation.

"This is Wano Country. The Shogun's name is Kurozumi Orochi! He and all of the government officials who serve under him have without a doubt the backing of Kaido! The government officials of this country are oppressive, but if you lay a single hand on them, Kaido will surely hear about it. Therefore, until we've rallied enough people to our cause, and until our preparations for battle are complete, we cannot allow our identities to be exposed! First, we will assimilate with the inhabitants of this country. So please, let's complete this mission quietly!"

The entire group nodded.

"Good. Now, I'll need to give you all proper disguises and identities."

"Ah, excuse me? I need to take a leak, so can you wait for a few minutes?"

"That is fine Usopp."

Usopp walked out of the ruins of Oden Castle with his slingshot Black Kabuto.

"You're taking your slingshot with you?" Zoro asked, "Aren't you just taking a leak?"

"There might be terrifying monsters hiding in this forest. Or, there might be an enemy wandering around. This is Kaidou's territory after all."

Zoro just shrugged. "Do as you wish."

"Good, as I REALLY have to go!"

Usopp bolted out of the ruins and into the forest. He didn't go too far, just far enough to be out of sight behind a tree.

"Ah, I forgot to tell him that we have an outhouse here," Kin'emon realized.

"Just tell him when he gets back."

* * *

Usopp sighed in relief as he finally was able to do his business. Luckily, no monsters or pirates showed up to kill him while he was away from the real monsters of his group like Zoro.

It's not that he had no confidence in his own fighting abilities. He worked hard for the last two years to make sure that he wasn't a burden to his captain after all. It's just that the monsters of the New World were on another level. There was strong, and then there was a level of strength that he could never hope to overcome.

Against Trebol, even when he showed up to fight, he was completely helpless. It was really chance that he ended up succeeding in his mission anyways. It's hard to be brave when the odds are so hopeless, but then again, if being a brave warrior of the sea was easy, then it wouldn't be his dream. Regardless, if a monster of the Beast Pirates like Jack showed up, Usopp's best bet was to run.

In the end, thoughts of running away were pointless as he completed his business without accident. He contently walked back to the ruins only to take a wrong step. The ground under him fell and Usopp fell with it.

"A pitfall? AHHHH!"

As Usopp fell into the abyss, the hole closed itself, leaving no trace of Usopp's disappearance.

* * *

As soon as he heard the scream, Zoro bolted out of the ruins, hands ready to draw his swords if needed. He could not sense Usopp with his Observation Haki at all. Robin, Franky, and Kin'emon followed.

"I can't sense him at all. Robin?"

Robin crossed her arms and grew eyes and ears all over the forest.

"I don't see him anywhere. Any possible threats to him are also not present."

Zoro's grip on his sword tightened. "Damnit! How could he have disappeared from under our noses?! Who could have done this?!"

"I too am worried for Usopp," Kin'emon said, "so please, while you are all undercover in Wano, try to learn about what could have happened to him."

"That's not something you need to ask us to do."

* * *

When Usopp stopped falling, he found himself underwater. He swam to the surface only to see that he was very close to the coast of some city. It was still afternoon. The city did not look like anything in Wano however. The architecture was completely different, and there was a dock with ships that did not look Wano-esque either.

 _Where in the world am I?_

Usopp swam to the docks and pulled himself up. It didn't look like there was anyone that saw him. He took of his shirt and started wringing out the water from it. While he was doing that, a local police officer spotted him. He was bored and curious, so he decided to walk up to the strange, long nosed man.

"Did you decide to go for a swim?"

Startled, Usopp said, "Ah, yes of course!"

"At a port?"

"Of course!"

The officer sighed. "Be careful for ships. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but try not to swim in waters that have heavy ship traffic."

When the officer walked away, Usopp realized that he must have been from some sort of local law enforcement organization. The man wasn't from the marines at least, but the fact that he didn't recognize the great 'God Usopp' was strange. He was a wanted man after all. Usopp wouldn't complain though. The less trouble he had to deal with, the better.

Usopp was still a little wet, but he decided that he couldn't stay at the docks forever. He needed to figure out where he was, and if he bought a Den Den Mushi, he could probably call Kin'emon and the rest to tell them where he was. Everyone else still needed him in Wano, and even if his absence wouldn't be the worst loss from a militaristic perspective, there was no way everyone else could fight as effectively if they were too busy worrying about him. It was his duty to at least let everyone know that he was safe, even if he personally couldn't make it to Wano in time.

Usopp walked in the streets of this unknown city. No one recognized him at all, but he could tell some people were staring at his nose.

Was his long nose really that much of a oddity? Usopp remembered seeing people with heads as large as their torsos, and other stranger body shapes and features were not uncommon. Although, looking at everyone else in this city, such strange features seem nonexistent. They were mostly normal. He did spot some people that looked to be half-mink every now and then however.

Usopp looked around until he found a shop. It looked to be the type that might have a Den Den Mushi or at least some basic supplies. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything like that in the shop. There were some food supplies, some unrecognizable items, a world map, a-

Usopp's eyes came out of their sockets. He couldn't believe the map he was seeing. The structure of the land and everything felt incorrect.

"That map caught you by surprise?" the store owner asked.

"Me?" Usopp started laughing. "You really think that a map could elicit such a reaction from the great Usopp-Sama?! It is a shame that people as ignorant as you exist in the world."

The owner blinked a few times. "Usoppsama is a strange name."

"My name is Usopp! The sama is an honorific!"

The owner sighed at the long nosed man's antics. "You're just making that up, aren't you? Anyways, are you going to buy anything?"

"Hmm… I'll probably take this map."

"That will be 20 lien please."

"That's fine, just give me a second."

Usopp dug through his bag and found some spare beris… "Wait, did you say lien? How does that convert to beris?"

"We don't take fruit."

"It's not fruit! I mean beris!"

Usopp took out some of the currency from his world and showed it to the man. It was still wet, but it was not destroyed.

"This looks like Monopoly money."

"Do you take that?"

"No! Of course not! Now, if you don't have any lien, then there isn't a point for you to be in this store."

"Ah, sorry. I'll be leaving then."

"You know, how is it even possible for you to have no lien? With that weapon, you look like a huntsman."

"Huntsman?"

"Are you not one?"

"What? Of course I am! I was a prodigy hunter when I was only three years old. There was this HUGE grizzly bear, but I took it out with a single shot! Ha ha, that was only the start to my career as a hunter! Ha ha ha!"

The store owner could not believe that the man would state such an obvious lie. At this point, he was sure that this Usopp had no idea what he was talking about.

"I said Hunstman, not hunter. There is a huge difference. Huntsmen and Huntresses are the brave heroes that protect this country and others. You knew that… right?"

"...Of course I did. Don't be silly now."

"Right… If you're not a Huntsman, are you a student at Beacon?"

"Beacon?"

"It's… ah, why don't you know anything! It's the Huntsman academy at Vale! I heard that an airship is heading there soon for initiation if you're interested, as it seems like you aren't even a student."

"Alright… if you ever want to hear more tales of my heroism in my younger years, then don't be afraid to seek me out. If not, I'll be leaving now."

As Usopp left, he tried to process some of the things he learned. Wherever he was, it was likely an isolated part of the world that doesn't even use beris as currency. Although, just how isolated would a country have to be for that not to be the case? The only examples he could think of were Skypiea and Wano. Both had impressive natural barriers that prevented entry. However, this place has a harbor and calm seas. The map he found was also intriguing. It claimed to be a world map, but Usopp felt that the claim was worse that a child's lie. Nonetheless, it seemed that he was in a country called Vale, and there were several other neighboring islands that had their own countries if he remembered the map he saw correctly.

Although, what if that map really was a world map? Usopp shook his head of such a ridiculous thought. It was absolutely unbelievable. All he did was fall through a hole in the ground after all!

Regardless, he had no money and no job. He could always steal, but he didn't want to get in trouble with the law already. Having nothing to do, Usopp wandered the city until nightfall. He kept an eye out for any Den Den Mushis, but he never found any. Looking up at the night sky, however, was a sight that made Usopp's jaw drop.

The moon. Shattered.

Usopp fell to his knees. "Wh... What the hell?"

A shiver went up Usopp's spine. He never remembered the moon being shattered like that. Even if he was on some faraway island, no amount of distance would make the moon look like that.

Considering the strange currency, the world map, the calm seas, and the profession he never heard of before, there was only one conclusion he could make.

He really was on another world. He may never get back to Wano, and he surely couldn't let everyone know that he was alive.

Worst of all, whatever this world was, it had something that made the moon shatter. If it was someone instead of a natural occurrence that caused it, then he prayed to God that he would never have to fight that person.

Usopp's overactive imagination was already considering the worst case scenario. However, he needed to figure out what he wanted to do now. He could try to be a pirate in this new world, but there didn't seem to be any real island chains on the map. He wasn't confident that he could ever hold as much respect as a captain that Luffy was able to, and finding a crew would be difficult. Also, it didn't feel right starting his own pirate crew after dedicating himself to Luffy.

But, how would be become a brave warrior of the sea then? Usopp then remembered something that he heard from the store owner. He could be a Huntsman. It seemed that he was already mistaken for one, and they were called the brave heroes that protected the country. From what exactly, he wasn't sure, but it was probably his best option. He wasn't sure if he could ever return to Luffy, but if there was a way, he might find it as a huntsman.

It had nothing to do with the fact that others would see him as brave. Nothing at all...

Regardless, he would have to wait until tomorrow before heading to Beacon, as it was already nighttime. He had no home to sleep in, so he would unfortunately have to sleep on the streets. It was worse than being on the Sunny for sure, but he spent two years on an island with carnivorous plants and giant insects. He would be fine, even if he had to be careful not to be robbed in the middle of the night.

* * *

The next day, Usopp decided to look for wherever the supposed airship was leaving from. Usopp wasn't really sure what he was going to do if it really was an airship. The thought of entering a ship without being sure if it would remain in the air reminded him of his time on Enel's Arc. That ship was powered by Enel's devil fruit, but what of the airships here? What powered them?

What Usopp didn't know of was the existence of Dust. Considering how much he wandered, he should have normally found a dust shop. However, a lot of them had been closed down due to a string of robberies.

Initiation seemed to be a popular event as there were plenty of signs to show the way, and following a crowd of people didn't make things hard either.

When Usopp saw the airship, he hesitated for a bit.

 _It's a real airship… probably. Maybe I shouldn't get on… No, I have to get on. I don't know if I'll ever see my crew ever again, or if I can ever make it to my old world. If I want to be a brave warrior of the sea, or at least a brave warrior like the giants of Elbaf, I can't run away from something like this. And, if there is a way to head back, I might find it as a huntsman._

In the end, Usopp steeled himself and took the first step towards his career as a Huntsman, and possibly the first step towards finding a way home.

 **A/N: Some people might be wondering why I chose Usopp, and just Usopp. Yes, the teams are normally teams of four. No, I'm not kicking anyone out for a team RUBY or something, nor am I going to roll with RUWBY or JUNPR despite how the name fits. I could have brought over other One Piece characters for a full team, but I decided against it. Managing one new character is a lot less of a hassle, and bringing in any monsters like Zoro or Luffy might just break the RWBY verse. Usopp on the other hand is not so strong that he would be an undefeatable god. He is also primarily a weapon user, and unlike Nami, his dream isn't completely shattered just by travelling to a new world.**

 **Now, Usopp is pretty controversial due to his cowardice. I won't be taking that away, but since the level of power is just in general much lower in this world, Usopp will naturally gain some confidence over time, and he'll be working towards his dream.**


	2. Initiation

**A/N: As a side note, I'm bending canon a little and making initiation the entrance exam. This is because the actual content of the entrance exam is unclear, and having Usopp take two tests in a row would be repetitive in my opinion. Initiation also works better if its the first time Ozpin and Glynda are seeing him in action.**

Usopp tried his best to keep his legs from shaking as the airship took off. His efforts were more or less working, as the tremble could only be noticed up close. Still, he had no idea how the ship was flying. Enel's Arc at least had propellers. However, it seemed that world cared little for Usopp's lack of comprehension as the craft started to fly to its destination anyways.

To take his mind off of the fact that he was flying on a ship with an unknown propulsion system and power source, he decided to look away from the abundance of windows and pay attention to something else. Looking around, he saw a video screen that had accompanying audio. He looked around for any Den Den Mushi projectors, but none were found. Of course, this world didn't seem to use or have those snails, but it would still take some time to get used to that.

The screen seemed to be showing news. It was a different way to receive the news when compared to what Usopp was used to. He noted the various topics that were being talked about. All of the news seemed self contained, so there was nothing about what was happening in his own world. That is to be expected, but that didn't stop Usopp from hoping that he would find evidence that his own conclusion was wrong. The news shifted to several topics for some time, and eventually Usopp started to get bored. Right now, there seemed to be talk of some petty criminal named Roman Torchwick, who was stealing dust.

 _Dust of all things… some people will steal anything. And the police must be bored to put so much focus on this guy. This seems to be a peaceful place after all._

They continued to talk about him for some time, and they left it off asking the viewers to let the police department know if they received information on the man's whereabouts.

The next image shown however did catch Usopp's attention as it showed the half-mink people that he noticed earlier. They were apparently called Faunus, and they were protesting for civil rights. It seemed that racial discrimination was a problem that this world shared with his own.

The news didn't get much farther before it was announced that the airship would be arriving at Beacon soon. Usopp was glad to finally be able to get off of the airship and potential death trap.

Beacon itself seemed to be positioned on the top of a cliff. At the base of the cliff was the sea, and behind the castle like structure of Beacon were forests, rivers, and mountains. The airship soon positioned itself near a platform protruding from the cliffside. Usopp decided to not look down while exiting the craft, but he ended up hurrying towards the solid ground of Beacon anyways.

As the airship left, Usopp looked at it and saw thrusters on the back. It still didn't explain how it was staying up in the air, but it did explain how it moved around. There were plenty of students walking around as well as people getting off of different airships heading to Beacon.

 _Where am I supposed to go now? There aren't any guides or anything? Maybe I should use that ability to sense the greatest concentration of people._

Usopp focused for a bit before bringing out the same ability he used to snipe Sugar from such a long distance. He could see the auras of almost everyone in the main Beacon building, and for some reason they all shined with greater intensity than what he saw back home. Looking around, there was only one person on the campus who had a normal looking aura. Usopp had no idea what this meant, but he did see the large concentration he was looking for. Switching off his observation haki, he walked towards that grouping of people.

Everything was going fine until he heard an explosion not too far away from him. He dropped to the ground before looking around him. No one was panicking, and he couldn't see any signs of an attack either. Smoke from the explosion seemed to be coming from two girls a little while away, although he could have sworn that he saw snowflakes and bursts of electricity as well.

 _Are they alright? Well they look fine, and now one of them looks upset at the other. It must have not been that serious of an explosion._

Usopp simply walked away from the incident. Everyone was fine, and there was no reason for him to get involved.

* * *

Entering the building he guessed was correct, Usopp looked around to see a large crowd. It seemed that he was right. Everyone was waiting around, and after a little while a grey haired man with a cane and a blonde woman appeared on the stage.

"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but should you get in, your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step.

The man left the stage, and the blonde woman beside him took over. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

 _It's tomorrow?_

* * *

The next day, Usopp was gathered with some other people at the side of a cliff for initiation. Usopp hesitantly stepped on the stone plate on the ground. He wasn't sure why it was necessary, but he had a bad feeling about it.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin said.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today," Glynda said.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," Ozpin said.

"I don't know anyone here… How am I supposed to know who I would work well with?" Usopp asked. He was ignored.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"Eh?!"

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."

Usopp gulped. "D-Die?"

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune and Usopp raised their hands.

"Good. Now, take your positions."

Usopp gasped when the person next to him was sent flying into the air. "H-H-Hey, were you serious when you said we could-ahhh!"

Before he could process the situation, Usopp was sent flying into the air from the stone launchpad he was standing on.

"Dammit!"

Usopp was flying for several seconds before he thought of a possible solution. He loaded a seed into his slingshot and fired at the area he thought he was going to land at. "Green Star: Trampolia!"

 _It's normally used to send enemies flying into the air, but it will have to be good enough for now._

The plant grew in an instant and formed a bouncy bubble on the ground. When Usopp fell on it, he was sent straight back into the air. He was still flying, but he lost enough speed. As Usopp was falling back to the ground, he put Black Kabuto into his mouth and grabbed onto a tree branch. His arms hurt from the sudden stop, but now he could climb down the rest of the way with no problem.

"Now, I was supposed to get some relic? No, first I need to find a teammate. That should be easy… but what if my teammate is a complete jerk? And that old man said we had to destroy anything in our path… What kind of dangerous things am I going to have to destroy? What did I get myself into?"

Focusing, Usopp brought out his observation haki. It seemed that everyone had landed in the forest, and now he should be able to walk to the closest person without an issue. Usopp was also relieved that he did not sense anything in the forest for a while except for the other applicants and some small animals. He also noticed that the one person who had a normal looking aura was also in this forest. No dangerous monsters were to be found.

"Did he just say that to make us scared? What a jerk."

Just as Usopp started to walk to an applicant, he heard a twig snap behind him. He didn't sense anything behind him, but he still nervously turned his head towards the sound.

He almost wished he didn't.

Behind him as a bipedal wolf-like creature of darkness. It had bones protruding from its arms and back, and it had a bone mask. Its eyes had a demonic glow, and its fur was pitch black.

In other words, it was the spitting image of a nightmarish demon.

"AHHHH!"

The monster lunged forward, but Usopp was already gone.

"Screw finding a partner! I need to make it out of this forest alive! That thing is going to eat my soul!"

The nightmarish creature did not give up it's chase. Looking back, Usopp saw that the monster seemed to be trying even harder. More emerged from the forest and started pursuing him.

"WHY ARE MORE SHOWING UP!"

While Usopp could certainly outrun these creatures, they didn't seem to be giving up soon. Even if he tried to lose them by going around trees and getting out of sight, they always knew where he was. Usopp was starting to get annoyed, but he could run for hours if he needed to. If he got out of the forest, then he might be fine.

"What the hell are these things?! Why are there so many?!"

* * *

On the cliff that the applicants were launched from, Ozpin and Glynda were using scrolls to monitor all of the applicants.

"There is no way that long nosed man is ready for this school," Glynda said, "he even ran away from a Beowolf."

"Hmm..."

"He's already lost his chance to find a partner. Everyone else has paired up, meaning that he has no one to pair with. The only impressive thing he's shown so far is evading so many Grimm for such a long time. He doesn't have a transcript, and unlike in Blake's case, that lack of experience is showing. I wouldn't be surprised if he had never seen a Grimm before."

"He hasn't fought yet."

"It doesn't look like he wants to fight."

"He'll have to fight soon. Or else he will die."

* * *

"Don't you things have someone else to pick on? Go away!"

Undeterred, a swarm of at least thirty of these monsters tried to pursue him. It seemed that besides the wolf-like demon, there were bear-like demons as well. He could also see a huge bird demon that was simply circling overhead. It almost looked like it was waiting for something, but at least it wasn't attacking him.

Usopp was doing well until his foot caught on a root. Taking advantage of this misstep, a bear-like monster loomed over him, ready to deal a finishing blow.

"Dammit! Special Attack - Green Star: Devil!"

A huge carnivorous plant grew behind the demon and it bit down, bringing the creature into its mouth. Only the legs were still visible. After a few seconds of pressure, the monster was killed and it faded to dust. The plant almost seemed disappointed, and it continued to try and reach for any monsters that weren't wise enough to stay away from it.

"Huh? It was that easy? And they can die?"

Some of the monsters hesitated, but it didn't take long for them to start going after Usopp again. The devil plant took a charging wolf monster into its mouth, and its leafy appendages grabbed two more. The rest were able to easily make it past the plant monster.

"Take this! Special Attack - Green Star: Plantanus Shuriken!"

Two large shuriken grew from a seed as it was in the air, and they each bisected any monsters they came across. They even cut down several trees that subsequently crushed some of the monsters before the shuriken lost all of their momentum. Usopp didn't stop there. While advancing in the opposite direction to keep his distance, he shot out several more seeds.

A few more devils showed up in the crowd to eat the monsters, and an advancing swarm soon found itself impaled by bamboo spikes. The thirty or so monsters on the ground were reduced to nothing by the barrage of Pop Green plants.

As Usopp destroyed the last one, he took a moment to catch his breath. _Those things look scary, but they sure are weak! I suppose if normal looking people like Luffy can be such potent monsters, it also works the other way around._

Usopp looked towards the sky just in time to see a large feather on course to impale him. He managed to jump out of the way, and he ran to dodge another barrage of feathers. It clearly came from the bird demon that had now ascended to a higher altitude.

"Now you try to attack me?! Special Attack - Green Star: Plantanus Shuriken!"

The two shuriken shot forward, but the bird-like creature was too high up. The large distance gave the creature enough time to dodge, and it was wary of the projectile's strength after the display earlier.

"It dodged? Well it-ah!"

Another barrage of feathers were heading straight towards Usopp. While the bird's height meant it was hard for Usopp to get any hits, the same was true for the bird. Now that Usopp was focused on the fight, he had no trouble avoiding the monster's projectiles.

 _This is going nowhere… It only decided to attack after I finished a huge fight. Did it try to wait until I was weakened? In that case…_

Another barrage of feathers threatened to impale Usopp. He jumped out of the way for most of them, but it looked like his side was partially hit. He screamed and fell to the ground with the red fluid making a pool under his body.

The bird looked at its successful strike and it dove down to eat the remains of the man.

Usopp smirked. He waited for a few seconds before standing up and loading his slingshot. "That was ketchup you stupid bird! Did you really think you could hit me?!"

This may be his only opportunity to strike, so he wasn't going to risk it with a weaker technique. The bird tried to cancel its momentum to fly back to a safe height, but it was too late.

"Special Attack - Green Star..."

A red bulb shot out, and from it's back the rest of the plant grew. After only a few seconds, the fearsome image of a large plant wolf was the last thing to enter the demon's vision.

"Impact Wolf!"

The shockwave tore off the bird-like monster's head and torso completely. The two halves quickly evaporated like all of the other monsters. Usopp looked around to confirm that there weren't any additional creatures before letting out a sigh.

 _There could still be more that are hiding, but at least I'll be able to deal with them. Their bodies disappear, but even after a few minutes, there is no sign that they are going to reform. These monsters are beatable, but are these what Huntsmen and Huntresses protect the people from? If anything could put the people in danger, it's definitely these things._

Usopp was still wary, but he activated his observation haki once again. Everyone that was within range of his haki was already paired up with another person. Also, for whatever reason, the one man that had a normal looking aura now had an aura just as bright as the others. It seemed that something about it changed since the time Usopp last checked.

 _I still can't sense any monsters, which means the ability I'm using can't sense their auras for some reason. I'll have to be careful._

Usopp decided to make is way to another group of people. On his way, the monsters simply wouldn't leave him alone. Luckily, Usopp never encountered any as difficult as the flying monster he fought earlier, but the attacks made him be constantly wary.

Every now and then, he checked outward with his haki. The pair he was heading towards has seemed to have met up with three other pairs for a group of eight. The group of eight then started fighting something he couldn't sense, and then they started moving somewhere together. This seemed to be more proof that those monsters could somehow stay hidden from his ability.

That group of eight was heading in the opposite direction of Usopp, so it would take some time to catch up. Usopp wasn't in a hurry as he still needed to be vigilant for monsters while keeping track of where the other people were.

Eventually he reached a clear area. There was some ruin with many pedestals in a circle. Some of the pedestals had chess pieces on them, but it looked like many of them had been taken already.

"Are these the relics? This was where that group of eight were at before. I don't have a teammate yet, but I may as well take a relic while I can."

Usopp examined them before choosing a golden pawn. He put the relic into his satchel and headed off for the group of eight. He managed to catch up to the others just in time to see another huge bird monster get decapitated at the top of a cliff. At the top stood a girl in red with a large scythe.

"Wow..."

* * *

"It seems that initiation is finished," Glynda said, "It is strange however that this 'Usopp' lacked confidence despite being a capable fighter. It is a shame that he didn't find a partner."

"I may be able to bend some rules."

"Ozpin, while I do believe he is plenty capable enough considering how he dealt with a Nevermore by himself and retrieved a relic, teams have always been composed of 4 people."

"I know. I intend to keep that system, but I have an idea."

 **Guest : Usopp will get his aura unlocked, as that is necessary for sparing and tournament matches. At this point, I don't know what his semblance would be, or if he even would have one. His ability set is pretty diverse with all of the plants he can grow, and his observation haki helps with sniping things. I don't know what other ability would help with his fighting style, but I might be able to think of something. If not, then people could just assume that his haki is his semblance. As for a pairing with Velvet... I'm going to be honest. If I tried to write something romantic, it would be complete trash. So I don't have any plans for something like that.**


	3. First Day

Usopp didn't have much of an idea as for why he was invited to the team placement ceremony like the others that actually completed the initiation successfully. He wasted too much time running, and he lost his chance to find a partner because of that. He sighed. It certainly looked like he blew his only chance of becoming a Huntsman.

 _Maybe this school has a habit of publicly humiliating people who failed initiation._

"You look down for someone who passed."

Usopp looked up to see the girl in red that used a scythe. The same girl that decapitated a huge bird demon… Usopp couldn't help but gulp. This girl was certainly strong. Behind her was a blonde woman with lilac eyes who was looking at the other girl with some pride.

"Ah… Well you see, I didn't pass. I'm probably just here to be made fun of, so of course I'm down."

"You wouldn't be here with us if you didn't pass."

"No no, if you really think about it, they probably have people like me get humiliated in order to show an example to future applicants of what not to do."

The girl shook her head. "That's too negative. Beacon wouldn't do something like that."

"Can you really say that with confidence? There are thirteen people from initiation here, how are there supposed to be teams of four with that number?"

"I.. I don't know! Maybe there will be a team of five or something."

"Like this school would go so far just for me. It's not like I was particularly impressive during initiation. I doubt I did any better than anyone else here."

"You don't know that! You didn't meet up with anyone until the end, so how would you know?"

"I saw you decapitate that huge monster. That's all I needed to see."

"But that was with-"

They were interrupted as Ozpin took to the stage. "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark."

The four mentioned walked up to the stage and stood in a line.

"The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!"

Team CRDL left the stage as the next team was announced.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR."

Usopp's heartbeat sped up a small amount. There were only five people left, and his name hasn't been mentioned yet. While he didn't believe he passed, the girl he talked to earlier had given him a sliver of hope. S

"Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Usopp held his breath for the final announcement. _I've already prepared myself for this failure, so why is it so tense?_

"And for our last team: Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Ruby was being hugged to death by her older sister, but she couldn't help but look at the long nosed man in the crowd. He was looking at the ground with his head hung low.

"And finally, Usopp."

"Eh?"

Team RWBY had already left the stage, so Usopp decided to step up.

"You retrieved a white pawn piece by yourself. While normally you would have been rejected, Beacon is implementing a new system this year. There are times when a team cannot fight with all of its members, or when a mission is too risky for one team, but there are too many other threats to dedicate two teams to it. Usopp, this is where you come in. You will not be part of a team, but rather you will be working with any of the other three teams formed here today depending on the situation. The finer details can be discussed at a later point, but for now, congratulations."

Usopp jumped into the air with his arm raised high. "I did it!"

 _Wait for me, everyone! As a Hunstman, I will find a way back!_

* * *

As Usopp wasn't technically part of a team, he got a dorm room all to himself. Since the new system was introduced on the spot, he had a room that was designed for four people. He was also given a strange piece of technology called a scroll. He wasn't really sure how it worked, but it acted like a key for his room.

By messing around with it, he figured out that it had probably had some other functions. He would have to ask about that later. For now, he was setting aside some of the extra space by the windows for a Pop Green garden. Although, in order to finish the garden, he would need money. Getting pots, good soil, and a watering container would probably cost money

Usopp laid down in one of the four beds in his room. This would be his third night in this world, and it seemed like there wasn't going to be a quick way out. He buried his head into his pillow.

"Luffy… Everyone… I'm sorry. I know you can't hear me, but I am certainly alive. I'll get back as fast as I can, alright? So don't worry about me. I'm sure that someday, even if it takes years, we will meet again. Got it, Captain?"

Silence was the only response.

* * *

The next day was also the first day of classes. Usopp was sure to pay attention, as the first class of the day was about the monsters he encountered in the forest, which apparently were also present all throughout the world. He had school provided paper and pencil to take notes. However, it seemed like only the first part of the professor's speech was helpful. The rest devolved into a personal story that took up much of the class time.

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Usopp made a checklist of the described traits on his paper.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

A girl up front, Weiss, raised her hand before Usopp could even consider the question. As Weiss walked up to the center of the classroom, a cage that was in the corner started shaking. The rest of Team RWBY started cheering for her, but that caused Weiss to snap at Ruby.

The professor cut the lock on the cage with his weapon that was a hybrid between an axe and a blunderbuss. Out of the cage came a Boarbatusk according to his notes.

 _Is it really alright to have monsters like that in the school? Although, all of the students here are probably strong enough for them not to worry about it._

It seemed that some of Usopp's worries were not misguided as Weiss appeared to be having some trouble with the creature. She was even disarmed.

 _That thing must be tougher than it looks, as even some larger Grimm like an Ursa were not hard to deal with. So is it REALLY alright to have it in here?_

The instructor didn't seem to be worried. However, Usopp couldn't count on a teacher in a fighting school to be entirely sane. Usopp decided that he would at least have his hand on Black Kabuto just in case.

"Weiss," Ruby shouted, "Go for its belly, there's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"Isn't she your leader though?" Usopp asked.

Weiss glared at Usopp for half a second until she focused back on the fight. The boar Grimm charged forward with a roll, but Weiss was able to stop it in its tracks with a glyph. Usopp's eyes widened for a second. The boar fell on its back, and Weiss used another glyph as a platform to jump from and stab the Grimm.

"She ended up listening to the advice anyways?" Usopp mumbled.

After that fight, class was dismissed. It was time for the next class of the day.

* * *

Next was a combat class where the students would practice fighting in spars. Usopp wasn't particularly looking forward to this one.

Glynda was standing in the center area where the spars would take place. "Now, are there any volunteers to fight first?"

Cardin raised his hand.

"That's one, any more?"

Most of the other students raised their hands besides Blake, Jaune, Ren, and Usopp.

Glynda looked around the room. "Hmm..."

 _Don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact, don't make-_

"Usopp, thank you for volunteering."

"Me?"

"Please come up to the stage with your scroll and weapon. I will set it up to display your aura level."

 _Aura level? What's that supposed to mean?_

Both Cardin and Usopp walked up to the arena. Usopp recognized the man as the leader of team CRDL. He had some armor on and was swinging around a somewhat oversized mace.

Usopp and Cardin handed Glynda their scrolls. After a minute, they were handed back to them.

"Now, on the screens above, both of their aura levels should be displayed by a green bar. When that bar is brought low enough, it will turn red and signify the end of the match."

"Um, professor?"

"Yes, Usopp?"

"My side of the screen is only showing an error message. The same is true for my scroll."

Glynda looked up at the screen to confirm that an error message was really being displayed. She sighed. "Usopp, do you know what aura is?"

"Eh? Oh that? Ha ha ha, of course I do! It's some… thing. It's kind of blue?"

Cardin started laughing. "It seems that you are as dumb as you look with that long nose."

"HEY!"

"That's enough now students, Jaune, why don't you explain to Usopp here what aura is."

Jaune looked startled for a second. "Huh, me? Ah well, aura is like making a force field with your soul."

Usopp's eyes immediately started to sparkle. "Seriously?! That sounds cool!"

"That.. is one way of putting it. There is more to it than that, but regardless, having one's aura unlocked is necessary for any sparing or tournament battle, as it will prevent you from getting any serious injuries with the rules established."

"I see… well I can't use this soul force field ability, so I guess someone else will have to fight Cardin-"

"No, actually I am going to unlock your aura right now. There's no point in delaying it, as you will need it for this school."

"Oh… Wait, I can learn force field powers that easily?!"

"Yes, now close your eyes and concentrate."

 _Alright, force field powers, force field powers, FORCE FIELD POWERS! Ha, everyone back at the Sunny will be so excited… Chopper and Luffy will have stars in their eyes for sure! Franky will say, "What a SUUUPER force field, can't you tell me how to do it?"_

 _And I'll say "No, no, it's a cool ability I got from another world, I can't just give it out for free!" But then he'll remind me how cool a robot with a force field would be, and then I would give in… ha ha ha!_

"Usopp..."

 _Ha ha ha-_

"Usopp!"

"Oh, yes?"

"Your aura has been unlocked. We will be beginning the match now, as we have already wasted enough time."

Usopp looked at his hands, and indeed he did see a green force field covering them. The screen and his scroll also properly displayed his aura level.

"Now that the issue has been dealt with," Glynda said, "let the match begin."

"Long nose, I'm not going to lose to some loser who just unlocked their aura."

"I'd like to see you try and defeat me now! I have a force field!"

"That doesn't make you special at all, it just shows how lame you were before. You weren't good enough to be part of a real team after all."

Cardin charged forward, swinging his massive mace at Usopp. Usopp managed to roll out of the way, and the mace found itself cracking the ground. Cardin did not relent, as he continued to try and go after Usopp.

Usopp fired a seed into the ground ahead of Cardin.

"Where were you aiming with that pathetic sling-"

A sharp spike of bamboo swiftly grew from the ground, impacting against Cardin's chin and sending him flying into the air. He landed on his back after several seconds, causing the ground to crack around him.

 _Is he down?_

Cardin started to get up onto feet. "Why you little..."

Usopp raised his slingshot to fire another shot, but the buzzer rang.

"Cardin's aura has now fallen into the red," Glynda explained, "The match is over."

"What?! There must be some kind of mistake!" Cardin yelled.

"No, that is not the case," Glynda said.

 _That was easy... Maybe these force fields are actually more flimsy than I thought they would be._

"Go Usopp!" Ruby cheered, "He is an unofficial member of Team RWBY after all."

"Using your logic, he would also be an unofficial member of Team CRDL and Team JNPR. We can't really claim a win here," Blake said.

"Shh! I wonder what kind of dust his slingshot uses to make bamboo grow like that."

Cardin was practically fuming right now. "That was a lucky shot, long nosed freak."

"Hey!"

Cardin just left the fighting stage and went back to his team.

"What's his problem?"

Usopp walked back to the rest of the students, ready to let the next match start.

* * *

The next class was History. It was rather uneventful, but through that class and the Grimm studies class, Usopp was even more sure that this was a completely different world.

Regardless, Usopp was still in need of Lien. However, now that classes were over for the day, he could enact his plan to earn some. The first order of business was to knock of Team RWBY's door.

The door opened to show Yang. "Hey Usopp, what's up?"

"Do you have a minute? It's not particularly important, but I would like to talk to you and the rest of Team RWBY if you're not busy."

"Sure, why not?"

Usopp was let in and the other team members stopped what they were doing to look at him.

"Team RWBY… yes, yes, that sounds good, but I've been thinking that what a team really needs is a good symbol or flag to represent them. I was thinking of designing flags for this team, Team JNPR, myself, and maybe Team CRDL since I will technically be a member of all three. They could be posted outside of the team's individual dorm rooms to give some team identity."

"That sounds great!" Ruby said.

"Unfortunately," Usopp said, "I am totally broke."

Team RWBY blinked. "What?"

"You see-"

"How is that even possible?" Weiss asked, "Did you do no planning whatsoever? What were you thinking when you came here?"

"...You see, before I came to Vale, I lived on an isolated island. I didn't know it, but apparently the currency is different from what's used here."

"They don't use Lien?"

"No, we used this." Usopp brought out a few bills and showed them to the team. "Why I am broke isn't that important now, however. Basically, the costs of materials required to make team symbols isn't something I can afford right now. So, in order to get started, I would need some money."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So you want us to give you some?"

"I'm willing to work, if there are any jobs that you want me to do. Like cleaning the bathroom, or-"

"Deal," Weiss said.

"I could also- wait, what? Deal? We haven't even discussed a price yet."

"I can pay you 50 lien a week. And I'll even let you use my cleaning supplies, as I doubt you have any."

 _That doesn't sound like much… But she is a student. I can't expect her to be able to pay for a real job. It should be enough for me to buy some art supplies, and I can then sell my art as a primary source of income._

"Alright, that sounds good enough. Try to think about what you want your team flag is going to look like. I'll be off talking to Team JNPR about this as well."

"Could you wait just a little bit, Usopp?" Ruby asked.

"Why?"

"I didn't get the chance to ask you this in class, but could you tell me about your slingshot?"

"Oh, you mean Black Kabuto? It's a slingshot, but it is also a plant."

"Really? What kind of Dust does it use?"

"It-wait, what? Dust? Why would I use that?"

"You don't?"

"Is that strange?"

"Dust ammunition is used around the world, so yes it is."

"People use… dust? And that's common?"

Weiss asked, "Usopp, you didn't know what aura was, so do you really know what you're talking about? You do know what Dust is right?"

"Hey, I'm not that dumb! Dust is the stuff that can accumulate on things like bookshelves or other objects if you leave them alone long enough."

Team RWBY stared at Usopp long enough for him to be uncomfortable.

"You're just a complete dolt, aren't you?" Weiss asked rhetorically.


	4. First Weeks

"So those crystals can really be used to make fire and other elements?"

"Of course," Weiss said, "Dust can be used for that and much more. It powers our technology, and it helps us survive against the Grimm. Just how isolated was your island?"

"It was… very isolated. Anyways, did you use this Dust to create those snowflake glyph platforms against that Boarbatusk?"

Weiss sighed. "No, that was my Semblance. And before you ask, a Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user."

"Huh?"

"My Semblance is speed." Ruby said.

"And mine is what created those glyphs. They use Aura, so there is no way you could have known about them."

"I see… Now that I have my Aura unlocked, does that mean that I have one of those powers as well?"

"Your Semblance is something that you will gain in time, but it can take a while to unlock it or even figure out what it is."

"There's no quick and easy way to figure it out, is there?"

"No."

"I see… Anyways, thanks for explaining all of that to me. I didn't know about that on my island."

"About that, you said that you didn't have any Dust. If that's the case, then how does your weapon work?" Ruby asked.

"It's a powerful slingshot, but it also uses powerful ammunition. I use special plant seeds that are called Pop Greens."

"How do they grow so fast?"

"That's just a property of the plant. Some grow on impact, some in proximity of an enemy, and others can even grow in mid-air. I have a lot of different kinds of Pop Greens that I use in different scenarios, and I can use other types ammunition if I need to as well."

"What do all of your Pop Greens do?"

"All.. of them? I have a lot, are you sure-"

"Yes! Please tell me about them!"

"Alright, alright, although after this I would like to know more about scrolls. In order for you to fully understand my weapon, I must tell you a tale of when I was 3 years old. An absolutely massive Grimm threatened to destroy my island, and the only thing standing between it and my village was… me! I did not run away, as a matter of fact, I was the savior of my village! It was a fierce battle, but in one fell swoop..."

* * *

Four days. That is how long it took before Cardin stopped challenging Usopp in the sparing class. What infuriated him the most was that he lost to the same move four days in a row. No matter how much he tried to avoid it, a spike of bamboo would always send him flying into the air. On the third day, he actually managed to avoid the first bamboo spike, only to be caught by a second one as he was in motion.

Immediately charging forward didn't work either, as Usopp was always able to avoid his attacks. In the end, after four matches, all that was on Cardin's record was always having been defeated in one hit without landing a hit himself. Everyone in the class thought that he was incredibly weak, and some even questioned how he passed initiation. It infuriated him, but he realized that he would have to carry out his revenge some other way.

At some point, an incinerator was placed into the room in order to easily dispose of Usopp's plants that would normally be taking up space in the arena.

It was now the start of class for the fifth day of class. "Cardin, do you plan on challenging Usopp again?" Glynda asked.

"No, not this time."

"Good. That matchup was far too one sided for either of you to learn anything."

Cardin twitched.

Usopp gulped. "My free win… Now I'll have to fight someone strong this time… ugh."

Cardin clenched his fist, but then he took in several deep breaths. His revenge would have to wait.

"Now, for our first match, would Pyrrha Nikos and Usopp please come to the stage," Glynda said.

Usopp couldn't help but gulp again. Weiss had told him a lot about Pyrrha, specifically her reputation and her strength. "Fighting a champion… Is this my punishment for having it easy the last couple of days? Shouldn't you ask for volunteers first?"

"Usopp… This is just a practice match. Even if you lose, you should take the lessons you learned from that defeat and better yourself. This is in no way vindictive against you."

 _And besides, I would be surprised of you lost. You have more of a right to be confident than many of the students here,_ she thought.

"A-Alright..."

The two faced each other on the stage, waiting for their match to begin.

 _How am I going to win against her? Should I use Impact Wolf from the start? No no, Aura doesn't seem that sturdy, so that might hurt her badly. Although, maybe it was just Cardin's Aura that was weak, as the Aura bars never went down that fast in any of the other fights. At the very least, I'll need more than just a single bamboo javelin for this one._

"Let's have a good match," Pyrrha said.

"I sure am looking forward to losing."

Pyrrha frowned.

"You can do it Usopp!" Ruby cheered.

"T-Thanks."

"You'll be fine Usopp. No one will fault you for losing," Weiss said.

Ruby elbowed her. "Don't listen to her, you can do it!"

"If you are ready, we can start this spar now," Glynda said.

Both Pyrrha and Usopp nodded.

Ruby took out a notebook where she recorded all of the information that she learned about Usopp's Pop Greens. There were even sketches provided by the man himself. "This time for sure, he'll use something other than the Bamboo Javelin."

"Now let the match begin!"

Usopp took out a handful of seeds and shot them into the ground as Pyrrha attempted to reach melee range. A cluster of ten or so Bamboo Javelins started to grow under Pyrrha, but she managed to position her shield below her. Using her Semblance, she lifted the shield as she was on it up into the air at the same rate that the spikes were growing, creating the illusion that her shield took the attack mostly unscathed.

 _That shield's tough… The Bamboo Javelin seeds won't be enough here._

Usopp fired several seeds into the ground around the fighting arena, although he then took several shots in the head. Pyrrha's spear had transformed into a rifle while she was in the air. She gracefully landed in a spot next to the cluster of bamboo spikes.

Usopp panicked a little as he quickly fumbled with his scroll. _Still at 83%? Good._

His breathing slowed down a little as Pyrrha charged forward with her rifle now transformed back into its spear form.

Usopp aimed his slingshot and fired another seed. Pyrrha, still moving forward, dodged the Pop Green which then flew into the ground behind her. One step later, however, four Humandrakes poped out of the ground behind her. Each of the humanoid looking plants attached themselves to one of Pyrrha's limbs, causing her to fall to the ground just in front of Usopp. Her spear left her grip as she fell, leaving her disarmed.

Usopp started to get more relaxed. "I warned you, now-"

The spear that had left Pyrrha's grip was sent flying into Usopp's gut with her Semblance. Usopp was sent flying away, and he checked his scroll as he was rolling on the floor. _58% now._

After the floating spear had hit Usopp, it flew back to Pyrrha and started to impale all of the Humandrakes that were pinning her down. As Usopp stood up from the previous attack, Pyrrha also stood up after having been freed from Usopp's plants. However, a shadow loomed over her. She turned around only to be bitten by a Devil Pop Green plant. It thrashed around with her aura quickly being depleted from the force of the carnivorous plant. Using her Semblance on her spear and shield, she barely managed to force an opening in the plant monster's mouth from which she could escape.

 _Of course it wouldn't be that easy. I'm at 58% and now she's barely been hit by anything besides that Devil. It's not looking-_

However, just as Pyrrha escaped from the Devil, the buzzer rang signifying the end of the match.

"Pyrrha's Aura is completely depleted. Usopp is the victor."

"Eh? Is Pyrrha's Aura bar working correctly?"

"Yes it is."

"But I only hit her with one damaging attack."

"Regardless, that was enough. As a matter of fact, you should not use that move in a spar again. It looks like it cares little for the rules of a spar."

Usopp looked at the carnivorous plant that was still trying to chomp at a Pyrrha that was out of reach. "Y-Yeah. Sorry."

The plant was torn from the ground by Glynda's Semblance, and it was immediately sent into the incinerator.

Pyrrha dusted herself off and walked up to Usopp. She held her hand out. "That was a good match."

"Well… Just because I was complaining didn't mean that you had to hold back."

Pyrrha's hand fell to her side. "I wasn't holding back!"

"Listen, I appreciate the fact that you're trying to defend my pride, but-"

"It's not about that! You've done nothing but win since the first day of school, and today was the only time you had to put any effort into it. Why do you think you're weak?"

Usopp paused. 'I am weak' is what he wanted to say, but he couldn't say it while looking into Pyrrha's eyes. They weren't the eyes of someone who felt they were stronger than him. Usopp realized that even though she was a champion, she was still a student who was learning. He sighed and held his hand out. "Sorry. Thanks for giving it your best."

Pyrrha shook his hand. "You didn't answer my question."

"The answer is… probably because of my experience."

* * *

Since school had started, a few weeks had passed. Cardin moved on to picking on Jaune both in Combat class and outside of it to help stroke his ego. Ussop, with money that he earned from working, managed to purchase some basic art supplies. While both Team RWBY and Team JNPR have expressed interest in having a team symbol, Cardin didn't even hear Usopp out, nor did he want him to do anything for his team.

According to the terms of his role as a reserve team member, he was technically supposed to be spending time with all three teams, but he couldn't say that he had actually been doing that. On a normal day, he would attend classes, do any homework assigned, study for a little, and then spend his free time in the library learning about the world. He would stay up late looking for any information that may help him return to his own world. So far, nothing that he read or searched on a computer was any help. He couldn't even find a rumor of travel to another world, but he wasn't going to give up just because the search would take a while.

Regardless, today he decided that he would try to spend time with Team CRDL. They seemed like a bunch of jerks, but who knows? For now, he would try to sit next to them at lunch.

At least that was the plan. As soon as he got near the cafeteria, he saw Cardin pulling on the bunny ears of another student. The rest of his team was laughing.

 _Hey hey, this goes beyond just being rude! No one is really doing anything about it either._

From a distance, Usopp fired several rotten eggs at the members of Team CRDL, being sure that the substance would soak deep into their hair. He then bolted away to the weapon lockers.

"Who did that?! It stinks!" Cardin yelled.

"Those eggs came from that direction," another member of his team said.

Enraged, Team CRDL left Velvet and chased after the unknown assailant. Everyone in the cafeteria stared at the scene. Velvet decided to move to a different table in case they came back quickly. After a little bit, everyone settled down and resumed their lunch.

"Could that have been Usopp," Ruby asked.

"You mean me?"

Ruby looked behind her, then to the place from where the eggs came from, and then back behind her. "Wait, how did you get here so fast? And you already have a tray of food?"

"What are you talking about? I was just getting my lunch when those rotten eggs were shot. And I don't even have Black Kabuto with me. It's in my locker."

"Since when do you leave Black Kabuto in your locker?" Blake asked.

"Since today. I've always wanted to use a rocket propelled locker. Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all," Ruby said.

Usopp sat down at the table and set his food down. He was about to to eat when he realized that everyone was staring at him. "What?"

"You were the one who shot the eggs, weren't you?" Blake asked.

Usopp was almost able to stop himself from laughing. After second, he regained his composure. "No."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

Usopp started to laugh again. "Alright, it was me. Those jerks got what was coming to them."

"Did you unlock your Semblance?" Yang asked.

"What?"

"You were just outside the cafeteria, and you shot eggs at Team CRDL. Then you went back to your locker, and then back here? Or did you just throw those eggs?"

"I used Black Kabuto to fire the eggs."

"Then are you sure you didn't unlock some kind of speed Semblance like Ruby?"

"I didn't feel anything different. I was just running fast. It's something I have a lot of experience with."

"That's… strange."

"A lot of things are strange in my- er, on my island."

"Are people… stronger where you're from?" Pyrrha asked.

"Hmm? I wouldn't know. I'm pretty new to Vale after all."

"Alright… What about just based off the spars that you fought so far?"

"…I can't remember ever being on such a long win streak before. The people I've fought on my island were scarier, but none of them were students either. Anyways, Ruby, do you have a design for your team symbol yet?"

"Oh, I left it in my room."

"That's fine. What about-"

Usopp stopped himself when he saw that Team CRDL had come back to the cafeteria. Cardin and the others were scowling. It was obvious that they had never found who fired rotten eggs at them. Usopp couldn't help but giggle a little bit.

"Anyways, Jaune- wait, where is Jaune? I needed to ask him about the team symbol design as well."

"Jaune finished his lunch a while ago, so he left," Pyrrha said.

"Oh. Well, make sure to ask him about it."

* * *

That night, Usopp set out a black canvas on the floor of his room. It was sized to where it should fit comfortably on the top half of his dorm room's door. Next to him were paint buckets for red, yellow, and white. Paintbrush in hand, he began his work, quickly creating a perfect recreation of the Straw Hat Pirate Jolly Roger. He was the one who drew the original after all. Leaving it to dry, he left to the library for some late night research.

* * *

The next morning, using tape, the Straw Hat Flag was placed on Usopp's door. As he was placing the last piece of tape, Team RWBY exited their own dorm room. They noticed Usopp who took a step back to make sure everything was level.

"Is that your own personal symbol?" Ruby asked.

"It's… more of a reminder to myself. It's the symbol of a promise I made, so I suppose it is my personal symbol for now."

"Oh..."

"Do you have you have your design idea? I can start working on it after classes."

Ruby looked at the scrap of paper which had her relatively basic design. It was just RWBY with each of the letters as their respective color. Usopp seemed like a capable artist, so she could probably ask for a more interesting design. "Actually, I want to work on it a bit more."


	5. Forever Fall

It was already night as Usopp exited an airship and returned to Beacon. "Why does this school have to be in the middle of nowhere?"

He walked towards the dorms with suitcases in both of his hands. A familiar snowflake logo was on each suitcase.

 _And I'm now really annoyed at this Torchwick fellow. I laughed him off as a joke, but now the joke's on me. I had to look around so much just for an open Dust shop, and now it's already dark out. Tomorrow is supposed to be a field trip, so I should go to sleep early. I can make up for the lost time researching later._

Usopp made his way to the dorms, thinking of ways to put his newly purchased Dust to use. He didn't have a lot for now, but he would get more as he gradually managed to sell some of his art and take commissions.

He was about to reach the corner he needed to turn to before he saw Jaune walk from there with his head down.

"Jaune?"

He looked startled as he looked up. "Usopp?"

"I was just out getting some Dust. It was such a pain, I had to walk forever just to find an open Dust shop."

"Dust? Oh… Now are you going to have flaming bamboo spikes? You'll really be invincible then..." Jaune head seemed to drop even lower.

"No, I don't think it would be possible to use Dust that way. Rather, I thought it could be useful to have different elements available to me. Anyways, I haven't really seen you much. Did you and your team manage to come up with a team symbol?"

Jaune looked to the side. "Ah, that? I-um, no… I just…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to my room now to mess around with the Dust I bought. If you need something, just knock. It should be easy to tell which room is mine."

As Usopp started walking away, Jaune stared blankly at the ground. After a few steps, Jaune managed to say, "I'm sorry."

Usopp turned around. "Hey, I told you not to worry about-"

"It's not about that. I just can't help but feel that I stole this spot from you, and now you're stuck as a reserve member, while I'm the leader of a team, and I can't be a failure, and… I don't really deserve to be here."

"Hey, you didn't steal anything. You earned that spot in Initiation."

"You don't understand." Jaune looked around before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I forged my transcripts, so I really don't deserve my place here."

"Oh… Wait, why did you even need to do that? I got in just based on how I did during Initiation. I didn't even need transcripts."

"I'm not good enough for that. A good transcript gives you breathing room for a lack of good performance during Initiation. If you don't have one, then Initiation is all they judge you on. I knew that I couldn't do well during that phase, so I had to do that for them to give me a chance. Cardin knows, and he's got me on a leash because of it."

"That bastard… do you want me to prank him? I can get away with it easily."

"What? No, don't you get it? What I'm saying is that because I cheated, you only got in as a reserve member. I saw you at the team announcement ceremony, and being a Huntsman seemed important to you. What if the rules weren't bent?"

"I don't know, but that's not what happened. And it's not like everything was your fault. I spent too much time running away from Grimm, so I lost my chance to find a partner."

Jaune widened his eyes. "You… ran from Grimm? Why?"

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I'd never seen one before, so how was I supposed to know they were so weak? They looked even scarier than zombies."

"Ruby said that you've been fighting Grimm since you were three years old."

"That's… anyways, the point is that I got this reserve position because of my own actions. And besides, this position fits me better anyways."

Jaune sighed.

"If Cardin gets too annoying, feel free to tell me. I'm heading to my room now."

* * *

The next day, Jaune and Team CRDL were overlooking his own team, Team RWBY, and Usopp who were gathering sap. Cardin was staring hard at Usopp's back in particular.

"Cardin, wh-what's going on?"

"Payback."

While Cardin's reputation as a fighter has improved greatly ever since the day he stopped fighting Usopp, the first impression of him being weak still lingered in everyone's minds.

"You mean Usopp? What are-"

"That long nosed freak. He continuously mocked me and humiliated me. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who fired those rotten eggs either. Alright boys, last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work. Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we get back at him."

Cardin handed Jaune a jar of sap, a jar that Jaune had been forced to fill. "And you're going to do it."

"Do what?"

"Hit him with the sap! Either that, or I'll tell Goodwich your little secret. It's not like he's part of your team or anything. He's just a freak that doesn't belong here."

Jaune looked at Usopp, and then at the sap in his hands. "No, you're wrong."

"What did you say?"

"I said no! He _is_ a part of my team, and he belongs here as much as anyone else."

Jaune threw the jar of sap at Cardin. Cardin just laughed.

"Oh, you've done it now."

* * *

Usopp shivered as he heard a menacing roar in the distance.

"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked.

"I did," Usopp said. He concentrated to activate his Observation Haki. In the distance, he could see two auras. He recognized that one of the auras was the same as the one that changed in the forest.

The RDL of Team CRDL came running from the forest yelling that there was an Ursa that got Cardin. They pointed to the direction from where he sensed the two auras.

"I sense two auras in that direction."

"Jaune..." Pyrrha said.

"I can lead the way."

"Great, Usopp. Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby ordered.

Looking at Ren and Nora, Pyrrha said, "You two, go with them! There could be more!"

Getting lost in a forest such as this was easier than one would think. Even though the rest knew the general direction, they still felt like it was a better idea to just follow Usopp.

"You said you could sense their auras… Is that your Semblance?" Pyrrha asked.

"That… I don't know. I unlocked this ability recently, but it was still before I even had my Aura unlocked. That would mean that it can't be my Semblance, right?"

"...Right," Pyrrha replied. _An ability that isn't dust based and isn't a Semblance? Is that even possible? It might be related to his origin, like those plants._

"What's really annoying about this ability is that I can't sense Grimm at all! Those are the things I want to keep an eye on the most, but they just have to be soulless, don't they? They- We're just about there!"

Usopp, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby reached a clearing where they could see Cardin on the ground, about to be slain by a large Ursa. However, Jaune intervened by blocking the strike with his shield.

Weiss readied Myrtenaster, while Usopp loaded a shot into Black Kabuto.

"Wait," Pyrrha said.

Usopp didn't fire, but he still held his weapon out just in case. Jaune was sent flying several times, but he kept on getting up and trying again. On his last try, Usopp noticed that the Ursa was going to strike before Jaune could pull off his own attack. However, Jaune's shield suddenly moved to deflect the blow at the last second. This allowed Jaune to land his own decapitating strike.

Usopp noticed that Pyrrha had her hand held out. "Was that the same thing you used in our spar?"

"Yes. Ruby has her speed, and Weiss has her glyphs. My Semblance is polarity."

"Whoa, you can control poles..." Ruby said in awe.

"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss corrected.

"Magnets are cool too..."

The four left the scene, with Pyrrha convincing the rest not to say anything to about the incident.

 _Wasn't there a red haired pirate in Sabaody that had the same power? Maybe Semblances be almost anything, similar to Devil Fruits._

Usopp imagined himself turning into rubber as he unlocked his Semblance. _Luffy and I could be twins! Although I'm not sure if Semblances actually work like that. I hope my Semblance is good. What if it is something lame like the power to turn into a Giraffe? Kaku was already mistaken for me in the past with his nose. If I get the same power, it would be too confusing._

"Hey Usopp, did you really have that ability to sense Auras from a distance before your Aura was unlocked?" Weiss asked.

"Of course I did!"

"Why don't you check your Aura level with your scroll then?"

Usopp did exactly that. "It says that it's full. Why wouldn't it be, I wasn't hit or anything."

"A Semblance is like a more advanced and unique way of using your Aura. If that ability was a Semblance, then you wouldn't be full on Aura. Which makes me curious, what is that power and why do you have it?"

"I want to know too," Ruby added, "You said that you could sense Auras, but how does that work?"

"I am curious as well," Pyrrha said.

"With this power, I can see living things from a great distance, and even through physical obstacles. Although, I I technically don't see them, rather I see their Auras. They look blue, in case you were curious. From what I've noticed is that people who have their Aura unlocked look brighter than those who don't. It's a useful ability for a sniper such as myself."

"How did you get this power?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. At one point, I needed to make an extremely long distance shot against a target I couldn't see. There was… a lot at stake, so I couldn't miss no matter what. In the midst of all of that pressure, I unlocked that ability."

"That sounds like how a Semblance might get unlocked. Whether this is an abnormal Semblance that doesn't use Aura, or a different ability entirely, the only way to know for sure is if you unlock another ability that does use Aura," Weiss said.

For the rest of the walk, Usopp thought about what his Semblance might be.

* * *

One thing about this world that Usopp was grateful for was the advanced gardening tools. Inside his room, he had a special green self watering garden planter. Simply storing water in the lower section distributed it evenly throughout all of the soil above, where he was growing Pop Green seeds.

Several bright lamps illuminated the garden, meaning that even during the night, no productivity would be lost. The area with the garden was blocked by a curtain in order for Usopp to be able to sleep. This setup was better than what he had on the Sunny. If he ever found a way to get back home, he would want to bring this setup with him.

 _I wonder if my old garden is still alive… Luffy and the others went to Whole Cake Island on the Sunny, so the only real hope of it being taken care of is Nami. It's been several months, the final battle at Wano has probably already happened by now. Did Sanji ever come back? Is everyone still alive?_

Usopp sighed. He tried not to think about how his long absence would affect everyone back home, but sometimes he couldn't help but worry. He'd like to think that once he got back, he could just get back on the Sunny like nothing happened at all. However, the longer he stayed in this world, the less likely it was that everything was fine.

Usopp looked at the time on his scroll. It was 10:58 PM. _I should head back to the library. I can still look for something for the next two hours. Maybe I'll get lucky this time._

 **A/N: W** **hat Jaune said about why he needed forged transcripts is just what I came up with for this fic. In canon, there were entrance exams and Initiation, but I just condensed the two into one thing in this fic. Therefore, I needed to explain why Jaune still needed to forge his transcripts.**

 **As a side note of trivia, Usopp's canon normal sleep schedule is going to sleep at 1:00 AM and waking up at 8:00 AM.**


	6. Responsibility

Yang and Weiss stood to the side as Ruby knocked on Usopp's door. "Usopp, are you there?"

There was no response.

"Maybe's he's asleep," Yang said.

Ruby knocked again, but nothing happened.

"Ruby, it's probably for the best that we don't get Usopp involved in this," Yang said. "We would have to explain Blake's secret to him."

"Blake's been missing all weekend. I'm worried, and if anyone can find her, it's Usopp."

"I agree that we need Usopp," Weiss said, "It will make this less of a waste of time. I don't want to spend who knows how long looking for her."

"Well, he doesn't seem to be here though," Yang said.

Ruby knocked once more, but there was still nothing. "Come on team, let's check the library. If he isn't there, we'll just have to go without him."

* * *

Usopp was browsing through the various bookshelves, looking for a book that might be relevant. A lot of the books that he had looked through in the past were dead ends that had no relevant information. Although, now that he was being more selective, it turned out that none of the book titles were particularly relevant.

 _Damn, I'll just have to go back to choosing something random._

He closed his eyes and reached out to a book on the shelf. Taking it out, he opened his eyes to read the title.

 _The Story of the Seasons? It's not too long, I guess I can give it a try._

Usopp sat down at a table and started to read the book.

 _It just seems like this is a fairy tale to explain the seasons. Nothing like this existed in my own world, so this probably is just fiction._

"Usopp!"

Usopp looked up from his book to see Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. "Oh hey, what's up? Did you all need something?"

"Yeah, you see, Blake's been gone all weekend, and we figured that you could help us find her."

"Blake's… gone? It's the weekend, she's might just be visiting her family or something."

"It's… more complicated than-"

"She's a criminal," Weiss said, "A member of the White Fang, hiding right under our noses. She ran away, and since Ruby insists on finding her, I don't want to waste any more time than I need to finding her."

"Weiss..." Ruby grumbled.

"Oh… So you want my help to arrest her?"

"That may be what Weiss wants, but Ruby and I want to hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions," Yang said.

"And then you'll all know that I was right all along!" Weiss said.

Usopp closed his book. "We should hear her out. She never seemed like a bad person."

"Exactly!" Ruby exclaimed, "Come on Weiss, let's go!"

* * *

As soon as the four made it to Vale, Usopp concentrated to use his Observation Haki.

"Well, Usopp, do you sense Blake anywhere?" Ruby asked.

"Vale is a large city. At least most of the people here have locked Auras. It makes people like Blake who have their Auras unlocked stand out more. There is an unlocked Aura rather close to us, but it's not Blake. Let me look around for minute."

"So you want us to just wait around?" Weiss asked.

"It shouldn't be too long… From a glance, I don't see Blake around. She's probably somewhere out of my range. We'll have to walk around a little bit, although that one unlocked Aura is getting closer to us. It might be an enemy, so be alert."

"Alright team," Ruby said, "let's get moving! Blaaake!"

"If she isn't in my range, then there's no way she can hear you."

"Oh… Isn't there something I can do to help?"

"I'm the one with the long range detection superpower here. Saying that out loud makes it seem pretty cool, ha ha. Anyways, once I do find where she is, then it will be your job to talk to her."

The team continued walking through Vale in a somewhat awkward silence. Weiss was looking somewhat disinterested.

"How long is this going to take?" Weiss asked.

"How should I know? She might not even be in this city. While my range is large, checking the entire city could take hours."

"Then why don't you just run around the city and call us with your scroll when you find her? You can run fast when you want to."

"If I move fast, then I'll probably miss a lot. I have to be at walking speed to do a thorough search."

Weiss looked somewhat annoyed, but she did not push the subject further.

About twenty minutes later, Usopp noticed Blake's Aura, as well as the Aura of someone he never saw before. "Ah… I think I she just got into my range. She's with someone else who also has an unlocked Aura," Usopp said.

"Great! How far away is she?" Ruby asked.

"She's-" Usopp stopped walking. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all stopped behind Usopp as well.

Ruby asked, "Why did you-"

"Shh! Someone is behind us and around the corner," Usopp whispered.

Everyone turned around, and Usopp rested his hand on Black Kabuto just in case. Walking from around the corner was a girl that everyone besides Usopp recognized.

"Penny?" Ruby said.

The girl turned their way, and she smiled. "Hey guys, what are you up to? And who is the long nosed man?"

"I wanted to ask who YOU are. How do you all know each other? I don't remember seeing you at Beacon."

"Alright guys," Ruby interrupted, "Usopp, this is Penny. We met in this city last week. Penny, this is Usopp. He's a fellow student, and he's technically a part of my team."

"Oh, I see. Are you one of Ruby's friends?" Penny asked.

"Hmm… you could say that," Usopp said. "We were looking for our teammate Blake."

"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl!"

Just now it clicked that Blake was a Faunus in Usopp's mind, although he would never admit how long it took for him to make that connection. The White Fang was a Faunus group, so it should have been obvious that if Blake was a member, she would be a Faunus as well.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"Uhh, the cat ears?"

Immediately after Yang pointed out that she just had a bow, realization hit the entire group.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"Actually, Usopp just found her, I think. Right?" Ruby asked.

"I did… although checking again she seemed to have walked out of range."

"What?! Well, Penny, Blake has been missing since Friday and so we've been looking for her."

"That's terrible! Well don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate."

"Uh, that's really nice of you Penny, but Usopp has this covered. He has an ability that's perfect for this."

"Even so, I really want to help out!"

Yang and Weiss looked at each other. They wanted to run, but without Usopp, they would just be looking aimlessly.

"Um..."

"Well," Usopp said, "if she wants to follow us, it should be fine."

Yang and Weiss held their heads down. Unfortunately, there was no escaping from their situation.

The group started walking again. By travelling in the direction where Usopp first found Blake's Aura, they were able to find it once again. Usopp walked in front, while Penny and Ruby were talking with each other behind him. Staying further back, it seems that Yang and Weiss were having their own conversation. They decided to still follow the group while hopefully minimizing contact with Penny.

As Usopp's detection range was quite large, it still took twenty minutes to reach her and the person that she was with. The fact that the duo were also moving somewhere didn't help. When the group neared an alleyway, Usopp looked back to make sure everyone was still with him. He then led them straight into that alleyway, where the group came face to face with Blake and a monkey tailed Faunus. Blake's jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide.

With his task complete, Usopp moved to the back of the group to let the others talk. Weiss, on the other hand, moved directly to the front.

Blake looked at Weiss, then at Sun. Sun simply nodded towards her, and Blake regained her composure. "Weiss," Blake started, "and everyone, I want you all to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-"

"Stop! Do you even know how long it took for us to find you? I was thinking this was going to be fast with Usopp's ability, but it still almost took a whole hour! And in that time, I've decided that I don't care."

"You don't care?"

"You said that you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I haven't been one since-"

"Then I don't want to hear it!"

Ruby looked between the two, blinking once before cheering, "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"

Usopp blinked. _That was way easier than I thought it was going to be. I guess she just used to be a bad person._

"I guess we should go back to Beacon now." Ruby said.

The monkey tailed Faunus said, "Actually..."

"Wait, who are you?" Usopp asked.

"I'm Sun, but you should know that there was something important that Blake and I were planning on doing. Do you want to help?"

* * *

Later that night, Usopp, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Ruby, and Penny were all lying on a rooftop, overlooking a large shipment of Dust.

"Hmm… People are approaching in some sort of aircraft. From their Auras, it's no one I know."

"Finally, something happened," Weiss said, "We've been waiting around on this rooftop for ages."

"Should you really be happy about something like that?! I mean, whether it's this Torchwick guy or the White Fang, they're going to be dangerous either way!" Usopp said nervously.

"While it's true that the White Fang has some dangerous members," Blake said, "the rank and file members won't be a problem, even for students like ourselves."

"And besides, Usopp, I've fought Roman before. While he… got away from me, he won't be able to handle all of us together," Ruby said.

"And I'm Combat Ready!" Penny added.

"Alright… It just seems strange that the news would make a big deal out of this guy if he would lose to a bunch of students."

Sun climbed up to the roof and joined the others. "Did I miss anything?"

"There are people approaching, so get ready for a fight."

Sun took out his staff. "Alright."

A Bullhead descended from the sky, it's searchlights illuminating the large Dust crates. The Bullhead flew to the ground, extending a ramp for White Fang members to disembark.

"Is that..."

"Yes, it's _them_..."

 _They're here, they don't look that tough I guess._

Usopp descended from the roof and aimed his slingshot at the White Fang members that were exiting the craft. "Multi-Shot: Fire Dust Star!"

Each soldier was shot back by small explosions of fire.

"Already taken out, you useless animals?" A voice called out from inside the Bullhead.

"Usopp!" Weiss yelled, "Why did you just attack so suddenly?! Wait for the rest of us!"

"I'm a ranged fighter, I should be attacking first! What are all of you waiting for? We already know that they are the enemy, we shouldn't give them the chance for a fair fight."

"Everyone, let's just get down and help Usopp," Ruby said.

Everyone followed Ruby's lead as Roman Torchwick exited the Bullhead. "Oh great, it's a bunch of kids."

"Wait, so it was Roman and the White Fang?" Ruby asked.

"Why would they work with someone like you?" Blake asked.

"It's a joint business venture. I would love to stay and chat, but..." Roman fired off an explosive round from his cane at the group and then ran back into his Bullhead.

 _A cane gun? That reminds me too much of Brook..._

Everyone scattered, and two more Bullheads flew in, shooting their guns and preparing to drop off more White Fang soldiers.

"Green Star: Platanus Shuriken!"

The shuriken flew towards one of the metal aircraft, cleanly slicing it in two and causing it to crash into the ground.

Meanwhile, Penny charged and fired a beam to destroy the other aircraft. Any remaining soldiers were dealt with by the rest of the group.

Roman's Bullhead only started to fly into the air before Penny sent swords into it's hull. By pulling on the strings attached to those swords, she prevented any chance of escape.

"Damn those kids," Roman said, "They just keep getting weirder."

Penny pulled harder, causing Roman's Bullhead to crash into the ground. Everyone surrounded the crash site with their weapons ready.

Roman emerged from the crashed Bullhead, although seeing himself surrounded, he could do nothing else but curse. "I surrender."

Dropping his cane weapon to the ground, he let himself be restrained.

"That _really_ was easy with everyone here. Anyways, did you just shoot a Beam!?" Usopp asked Penny with stars in his eyes.

"That I did."

"That's so cool! Are you a robot or something"

"A robot? Of course not," Penny said before hiccuping.

"Oh, that's a shame. Robots always are the ones shooting beams, but I guess that was just your Semblance or something. A beam Semblance..."

Usopp walked of rambling to himself about wanting a beam related semblance.

 _Did he… want me to be a robot?_ Penny thought.

* * *

Roman Torchwick and various White Fang soldiers were handed over to the Vale Police department soon after their arrival at the scene. After some questioning, Usopp and the others were all let go to return home.

"It kind of feels weird," Usopp said.

"Weird? What do you mean?" Yang asked.

"Well- ah, forget it. It's late, and I want to go back to Beacon." _It's weird to be catching criminals instead of trying to avoid being caught._

"Wait, where is Penny?" Ruby asked.

Usopp focused his Haki and saw her Aura inside of a car. "She's in a car, which seems to be driving away from us. Maybe her parents came to pick her up."

"Or maybe you scared her off with all your talk about beams! Why do you think beams are so cool anyways?" Weiss asked.

Usopp just looked at the ignorant girl in pity.

"What's with that look?!"

* * *

The next day, Usopp went to Ozpin's office early.

"I must say, Usopp, you initiating a meeting with me is a first. Is this about the incident from last night?" Ozpin asked.

"No, actually, this was for a longshot request. I know I signed a contract, but I was just wondering if I could go back on the part where I have to work with Team CRDL. I don't like them, and I certainly don't want to follow any orders from Cardin."

"That sounds reasonable enough. I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, me working with them is important- wait, was that a yes?!"

"Did I misspeak?"

"Wait, you agreed so easily? I don't have to talk with them ever again?"

"You may have to do so once you become a professional Huntsman."

"Still though… that was too easy! If I had known that it would be that simple, I would have asked ages ago!"

"If you have any more problems, feel free to ask me. Your position as a reserve force is still an experimental idea. Forcing someone to work with an incompatible team would be more detrimental than helpful. But anyways, I actually have an important thing to discuss with you, if you don't mind."

"Important? If it's about the rotten egg incident, then-"

Ozpin took a sip of his hot chocolate. "No, it's actually about those plants you use, or as you call them, 'Pop Greens'. I have lived for a long time, and I never have seen or even heard of them. I'll be frank here, that weapon of yours is extremely dangerous. I would ask where you found such a thing, but I don't even trust myself with that knowledge. If these seeds were given to the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world, I'm sure that it would help the state of the world greatly. However, should this weapon fall into the hands of the enemy, it might just doom the world."

Usopp shivered. "I never felt that my Pop Greens were _that_ impressive. They're good tools, but isn't saying that they could doom the world an exaggeration?"

"I certainly hope so, but you should remember that your 'Platanus Shuriken' cut a Bullhead in half. And based on Initiation, that isn't even your strongest plant. As a protector of Humanity, I wished to ask you whether or not you think any malicious forces could ever find and use these Pop Greens for themselves."

"That would be impossible," Usopp said before realizing his mistake.

"Impossible? What makes you so sure?"

"Ah- um, well, you see, Pop Greens are a unique plant species only found on an island that was very difficult to reach and escape from. While I managed to do both, that island… burned to the ground as I was leaving it. I think it was creature in the water that caused that..."

"A Leviathan Grimm perhaps?"

"I don't know. I was more focused on getting away. Regardless, any plant life would have been destroyed, so it's not something to worry about. And even if they got their hands on them, they aren't easy to use. It took me two years to learn how to use them safely and effectively, and that was with an experienced teacher."

"That information certainly makes things less worrisome."

Usopp let out an internal sigh of relief that his on the spot made up explanation was accepted.

"However," Ozpin continued, "I still need to warn you to be careful with those Pop Greens. Do not trust anyone with those seeds, and take care to make sure they are never stolen. In case they are, great effort should be given to retrieve them before any malicious force could properly learn how to use them. Having these seeds is a great responsibility. Do you understand, Usopp?"

"Y-yes..."

* * *

As Usopp left Ozpin's office, he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He took out a Pop Green and just stared at it.

 _What the hell? Doom the world? Are these things really that strong? That's impossible… Why do I feel like I suddenly have a target on my back?_

* * *

At the local jail, Roman Torchwick sat in a lonely cell, awaiting trial for his various robberies and potentially working with the White Fang. A guard came by to drop off food, but Roman did not move an inch.

"Hey, you, breakfast is here. Don't starve yourself."

Still, there was no response. Roman was almost eerily silent.

"Hey! I swear, you were the loudest most annoying little shit when you came here."

Nothing. Roman wouldn't even turn around.

"Are you even alive? I won't be so stupid as to open your cell to check, but I WILL bring a mop to poke through the bars if you continue to just do... nothing."

If Roman cared, he certainly didn't show it.

"Ugh... somehow, you manage to be even more annoying without doing a thing."

The guard came back with a mop as promised, and he even warned Roman before poking him. The poke caused Roman to fall over and shatter.

"What the hell?!"

The guard quickly tried to unlock the cell's door, but that door shattered as well. In it's place was a door that was almost identical, but it had a busted lock.

"Damnit! Why did this have to happen on my shift?"


	7. Progress

As Usopp stared into his lunch, he couldn't help but drift off into his own pool of negativity. The second semester was about to start, but Usopp had barely made any progress on his goal. Hours upon hours were spent on research, but he didn't find much. The only thing of real note that he found was that the architecture in Mistral was similar to the architecture in Wano. He had a feeling, or rather he hoped that it wasn't a coincidence. Usopp hoped that the two places had some hidden connection that would help him get home. If he were to travel to Mistral, then maybe he might stumble and fall into a pit that would lead him home.

The only problem with that idea was that the pit he fell into in Wano threw him in Vale. That seemed to go against the idea that Mistral and Wano were connected. Regardless, that information was something at least, and it was more useful than anything else he found. This coming semester, he would have to change his research tactics a little.

Besides his general lack of progress, there was also the fact that Roman Torchwick escaped from jail soon after he was captured. It made Usopp wary. He thought that it was strange that he would surrender so easily, but now his ease of escape made Usopp think that he just wanted to hide his true abilities. What made Usopp nervous was the thought that maybe if Roman was serious, he could have killed everyone that was surrounding him. He was a dangerous criminal after all. Maybe he just decided that it was too much of a bother to fight. There was also-

Usopp's thoughts were interrupted as a tomato impaled itself upon his nose. He noticed that almost everyone out was rushing out of the cafeteria, and there was yelling about a food fight. Two teams seemed to be facing off against each other, Team RWBY and Team JNPR.

"Hey, Usopp! Come and join us already!" Ruby yelled.

"No!" Jaune yelled, "Just look at _me,_ Usopp. RWBY is too good already, you should join us!"

Usopp paused for a moment before saying, "I'll just sit this one out."

"What, you got Food _Fright?_ " Yang asked.

Usopp chuckled before replying, "Nah, I just want to finish my lunch. I'll watch."

Usopp watched the food fight play out as he finished eating his own food. It was a nice distraction from his troubles, but seeing all of the wasted food reminded him of Sanji.

 _Sanji would probably lose his mind. The two things he hates the most are wasting food and when women are in danger. This fits both… well, actually, it's just a food fight so it is relatively harmless._

Usopp then saw Nora send Weiss into a pillar with a watermelon hammer.

 _On second thought, this fits both. If Sanji were here, Jaune and Ren might get beaten black and blue. The rest_ _would probably get off with a lecture. Although…_

Usopp's eyes widened. He just thought of a very stupid idea. The idea itself wasn't stupid because it would cause any harm to Usopp, but rather it's stupidity came from the fact that it had a 0% chance of actually working. Going through with it would do nothing but raise false hopes.

 _This situation could almost be called Sanji's antithesis, although that is probably an exaggeration. Surely, even though we are on a different world, his sixth sense for these kind of things would pick something up? And then he would… kick open a... portal? Somehow... And then I return home through that portal, assuming I survive getting beaten by Sanji. A flawless plan. It's not like it completely relies on something that would defy all logic. I still don't understand how I even got to this world in the first place, so maybe getting back will require something nonsensical as well. There's no harm in trying, besides crushing my hopes._

Usopp squeezed Black Kabuto, causing the slingshot to grow in size. The sling itself became a carnivorous plant, and it began eating various food items that were on the ground.

 _Everyone else is focused on their fight. I'll just feed Black Kabuto a large amount of ammo while they still think I'm sitting this out. If I'm involved, it will be more plausible that Sanji could somehow sense something… Although I'll be dead for sure if he actually comes and sees me shooting food at women._

Usopp was just about done collecting food when he was almost caught in a whirlwind caused by Ruby's Semblance. He was knocked to the ground, but he managed to avoid joining Team JNPR on the wall. Of the combatants, only Ruby was left standing.

Unknown to her, Usopp took aim, using the large amount of food that his weapon had eaten as ammo. _Come on Sanji, now's the time where you heroically save the girl, right?_

Usopp fired. Nothing stopped the mass of food from sending Ruby flying into the wall. Usopp never really expected much, but he still couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

"Usopp! You said you were just going to watch," Ruby complained, "And did Black Kabuto get bigger?"

Usopp laughed. "I did say I wasn't going to be a part of it, but that was a lie of course. And Black Kabuto can change its size with water."

Glynda angrily entered the cafeteria, and by using her Semblance, she managed to restore some measure of order to the room.

* * *

It just lasted a moment, but Sanji felt something strange. It was enough to distract him from his current cooking task.

 _Why do I suddenly have the urge to kick Usopp right now? But not only that, it feels like Usopp... needs help? What could have happened?_

Sanji shook his head.

 _I can't be worrying about him right now. This cake is too important for me to mess it up._

* * *

Usopp's research was slow as usual, but starting this semester, he managed to narrow down some of the topics. Today, he was specifically searching for unsolved disappearance cases online.

Something that Usopp appreciated about this world was how it was easy to access a vast amount seemingly trivial information. While in his home, major events were reported in the news and told to the entire world, finding more trivial information would be impossible. For example, even though there were Devil Fruit users in the East Blue, the existence of Devil Fruits was still considered a myth by many who lived there.

Usopp set his sights on unsolved disappearance cases because they could theoretically have some relevance to how he would get home. He basically 'disappeared' from his own world, so if something like that ever happened here, then it would probably be labeled as a disappearance. Although, considering how dangerous the world was, people or even entire villages were known to disappear quite often.

The first link Usopp clicked on described the disappearance of the Grimm Reaper. It was a very old case, and it seemed that she was a rather legendary Huntress who practically disappeared overnight. She's presumed to be dead, but no body was ever found. Most people thought that she was eaten by Grimm, although there were a few skeptics that doubted she would be defeated so easily.

Usopp had to agree with that line of reasoning. From his personal experience with Grimm, they did not seem particularly threatening. Even first year students could take care of them. The idea that a Professional Huntress, and a legendary one at that, would fall victim to the Grimm just seemed strange. It would be like hearing that someone like Rayleigh was taken down by a Sea King. Sure, a Sea King would be threatening to a lot of people, but they wouldn't be able to do much against a legend. The problem with this line of reasoning for a lot of people was the fact that she has been missing for so long that she's probably just dead.

However, if she disappeared in the same way that Usopp did, then that would explain everything for him.

Usopp never found a disappearance case that was as suspicious as the first one he found. None of the other disappearance cases involved legends, and therefore the odds of them being normal was much higher. Usopp leaned back into his chair and sighed. In terms of relevant information, this day was better than most. That wasn't saying much though.

"Hey, Usopp, what's up?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I didn't notice you there."

"That's because I just got here. It's getting kind of late, so me and my team are heading back to our dorm."

"Alright. I'm going to be staying here for a bit."

"Really? You look kind of tired. Maybe you should rest early tonight. You shouldn't work yourself so hard with schoolwork."

 _Is that what they think I'm doing?_

"What? No, I'm not working on an academic thing right now. It's just a personal… project of mine. But anyways Ruby, I should have the team symbols ready by tomorrow. Sorry that it took so long, I've just been a little busy."

"Oh, that's great! I can hardly wait, but even if you're working on something you want to do, you should consider your sleep schedule more."

"Of course Ruby. I'll try to not stay up as late. I'll see you tomorrow."

As Ruby left, Usopp sighed. _I spent two years training so I could help Luffy. What was the point if I couldn't even be there for him in one of his most important battles? By now, maybe he's already become the Pirate King. Although, as long as there remains the slightest chance that Luffy still needs me, I won't let something as trivial as sleep get in my way! I should try to get in some more research time. Maybe I'll stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 tonight._

* * *

The next day, after classes, Usopp went straight into his room instead of going to the library. Looking around, he saw the finished team flags laying flat on a bed. The flags were not the only thing he made, but he would bring out those other things after he had presented the symbols to each team.

Usopp moved the flags next to his dorm door, and then he exited his room. He knocked on the door next to his. "Hey everyone, I got your team flag ready."

The door opened, and Usopp saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and… Sun? As well as some blue haired person that he may have seen before.

"Oh, Usopp, you would be perfect for this," Sun said.

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"We're going after Torchwick, obviously," Sun replied.

"What?!"

"No, we're investigating the situation first," Blake corrected.

"What situation?" Usopp asked.

"Well…"

Usopp silently listened as Blake's concerns were explained to him. They also told him about their plan.

"So, let me get this straight. You think that Torchwick may be planning something huge, and instead of getting professional help, we're just going to go in with the assumption that the enemy is something we can defeat?"

"Yep!" Ruby said.

"Really? We're students. Shouldn't we ask someone else to handle this?"

"We can't. That 'Someone Else' wouldn't know the White Fang like I do," Blake said.

"Oh…"

 _That's right, she can't exactly tell others about them without raising suspicion on herself._

"Well, I still don't like this. I've never actually fought Torchwick, so I have no idea how dangerous he truly is. I know you can all hold your own in a fight, but it just seems too risky," Usopp said.

"Sometimes, you can't save anyone without taking a risk. We'll have to do dangerous and risky work like this all the time when we graduate. And besides, I think that we're all pretty good for our age," Ruby said.

"You especially," Yang said, "For the person that beat Pyrrha, you aren't very confident. You have more of a right to be confident than any of us."

Usopp sighed. "I have the feeling that nothing I say will change your minds."

"Nope," Ruby replied.

"In that case, I suppose that I can't just let you do this without me. Torchwick is still worrying me though."

"I bet you could easily take him," Ruby said.

"Wow, you're so positive. No wonder why you think this is a good idea."

"It _is_ a good idea!" Ruby replied, "Alright everyone, lets get everyone's roles straight. I'll go with Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake. Usopp and Neptune, you can go with Yang."

"Go with her where?" Usopp asked.

"We're visiting an old friend of mine that usually has shady information," Yang replied.

"Wait Ruby," Weiss said, "Why don't you go with Yang? After all, she _is_ your sister."

"But Weiss, who would go with you then?" Ruby asked.

"Well… I guess Neptune could come with me."

Ruby laughed. "Nah."

"Is splitting up like this really necessary?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, it will make gathering information more efficient," Ruby answered.

Usopp went silent for a few moments to gather his thoughts.

 _I can't believe I'm about to suggest this..._

"Well… If Torchwick is really planning something, then shouldn't we just go straight to wherever he is and take him out together? Given enough time, I could find him with my ability, as long as he is in Vale," Usopp said.

"We still need to get information on whatever Torchwick is planning though," Blake said, "It's not just him, the White Fang is also involved."

"Oh, I have an idea!" Ruby exclaimed, "Usopp, you can go ahead and find Torchwick, but just don't get close. After the rest of us have gotten our information at our respective destinations, we can converge to your position, and then we can all go after Torchwick."

"So I would go alone?" Usopp asked.

"It can't be helped. We have an odd number of people."

"Alright, so I'm not going with Yang. I'll be using my ability to keep track of Torchwick without him noticing?" Usopp asked.

"Yep. Alright, is everyone ready?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, but with all of this, I guess we're postponing me showing off your team flag?"

"Oh yeah... Sorry, but this issue seems more time sensitive at the moment."

* * *

It didn't take too long for Usopp to find Torchwick with his ability. Although, after that was the rather tedious process of keeping an eye on him. Simply standing around on the streets became boring, and so Usopp would often walk around, making sure never to go too far from Torchwick's position.

Right now, he was leaning against a wall, eating some ice cream. Whatever building Torchwick was in also had a lot of other people coming in as well. It seemed like it was some sort of gathering.

 _Maybe Torchwick is recruiting more goons to do his bidding?_

From where he was, he could also sense Blake and Sun. Checking on them again, it almost seemed like they were heading straight to where Torchwick was. Actually, they were _definitely_ heading to where Torchwick was.

Usopp fumbled around with his scroll. _What was Blake's number again? Oh wait, that should be under 'Contacts'... Wait, is that a 'call' button in the contact page? So I don't even have to enter in the number every time. That's convenient._

Usopp quickly finished his ice cream and called Blake.

"Usopp, are you in trouble?"

"No, it's just that whatever building your heading towards has Torchwick in it."

Blake paused. "Sun and I are heading to the White Fang faction meeting. If he is there, then we'll likely be able to get good information on his objectives."

"What?! You're going in anyways? Ugh, well I'll try to get there fast in case something happens, and I'll let everyone else know about the situation."

"That is acceptable. We won't try to stay too long."

Blake hung up, and Usopp sighed. He quickly called the others to let them in on the situation before hurrying to the faction meeting place.

 _Ugh… Something will definitely go wrong. If Robin were here… No, I don't even want to think about what kind of messed up thing she would say._

Usopp got close to the building, and so far there was no sign of anything going wrong yet. Things looked calm and peaceful, and Usopp let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"Maybe they can pull it off without-" Usopp was interrupted by the sound of gunfire, and he saw Blake and Sun crash out of the top window.

"Wait, why did you-" A mech crashing through the wall interrupted him and answered his question. After briefly activating his Haki, he learned that it was Roman Torchwick piloting the mech.

"Oh come on!"


	8. Pirate

**A/N: Eight chapters in and I can't believe I haven't said this yet. I would like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, and even viewed this story. All of that really means a lot to me, so thank you again.**

The mech was imposing, with every footstep sending noticeable shockwaves and cracking the pavement under its weight. Even so, the mech was quick for its size

 _Torchwick in a mech? Screw that, he's probably super dangerous even without the mech._

Usopp hurriedly fired a Platanus Shuriken before retreating like Blake and Sun.

Torchwick's eyes widened as he recognized the projectile that had sliced a Bullhead in two. He knew that his Paladin was tough, but regardless, he still decided to dodge the projectile.

Usopp didn't even bother to see if he landed his shot. Blake and Sun were jumping from rooftop to rooftop, while Usopp was running on the ground below, with the mech following behind.

"Why does Torchwick have a _mech_?!" Usopp yelled at Blake and Sun.

"That isn't important right now. Where is everyone else?" Blake asked.

Focusing, Usopp said, "Just a second… They should get here soon."

Usopp looked back at the mech which was in hot pursuit. It was getting far too close for comfort, prompting Usopp to fire off several dust rounds and another Platanus Shuriken. The mech managed to shrug off any dust projectiles, but once again Torchwick practically swerved out of the way of the deadly plant blades. This time, Torchwick had cut it too close and lost one of his mech's arms to the shuriken. After that annoying slip-up, he backed up to get more time to dodge any more plants that would be sent his way.

Usopp grunted, thinking about his options. _He already seems wary of my Pop Greens, and that mech is just too nimble. I got an arm, but I doubt he'll get close enough to let that happen again. My other options don't seem to pack enough of a punch. I should just try and buy a little time so Blake, Sun, and I can regroup with the rest of the team. This should at least slow the thing down._

"Green Star: Bamboo Javelin!"

Usopp created a wall of green spikes that were too close together for the mech to run through. Torchwick eyed the bamboo wall, tempted to just ram through it. However, he decided to simply demolish a house on the side to go around it. Usopp was hardly satisfied by the second of time gained.

"I guess he can do that," Usopp mumbled.

From the rooftops, Blake asked, "How close is backup?"

"Just a-wait, I can physically see them up ahead!"

Yang and Neptune were quickly approaching on a motorcycle, while Ruby and Weiss were running not far behind. They were still a fair distance away though.

From afar, Yang yelled, "Usopp, watch-"

Usopp didn't hear the rest of the warning as he was blasted by an energy shot from the mech's remaining arm. Usopp was still skidding across the concrete, his Aura flickering, as a barrage of rockets exploded all around him.

 _One annoying kid down,_ Torchwick thought, _Just to be sure though…_

The smoke hadn't even cleared when Torchwick fired a volley of dust cannon shots in the Usopp's general area. He smirked in satisfaction as his most troublesome opponent was caught off guard and taken care of so easily.

Blake gasped in horror at the relentless assault. She even stopped running across the rooftops.

Yang's red eyes narrowed, and she made her motorcycle accelerate to an even faster speed.

Weiss' eyes widened in shock.

Sun created two clones with his semblance, but the clones simply dispersed upon making their attacks on the mech. Sun himself went in to attack, but all he received for the effort was a shot that sent him into Yang's motorcycle.

Ruby was the only one of her team that was undeterred. "Everyone, let's finish this quick! Freezer Burnt Wolf!"

"But that one needs Us-" Weiss started.

"Just do it!"

Weiss complied, creating a circle of ice on the road. Yang, dusting herself off from her crash, jumped up and punched the ice, creating a wave of cold mist that obscured Torchwick's view of the area.

Torchwick hurriedly activated his laser sensors, but by then it was already too late. Torchwick saw what could only be described as a wolf plant monster for a moment before it unleashed its powerful shockwave.

With Usopp's haki, his aim hadn't been impaired by the mist at all.

All of the mist was cleared away from the shockwave, revealing that the Paladin was completely destroyed. Metal parts were in shattered fragments all over the ground. Torchwick himself was sent flying into a building, bloody, battered, and eyes completely white.

With the mist cleared, and any dust settled, everyone else was able to see Usopp standing in a crater. His nose was bent at an unnatrual angle, and he was bleeding from several parts of his body. He was leaning on an enlarged version of Black Kabuto. Everyone had a mix of shock, worry, and relief enter their systems upon seeing Usopp in that state.

Although Ruby had never doubted that Usopp survived.

Usopp coughed some blood. "Ugh… You know, Ruby, I would have liked to lie down a little longer. Why did you have to *cough,* drag me into a team attack?"

"Sorry, but considering how dangerous the opponent seemed, I wanted to end it as fast as possible."

"Ahem," Weiss interjected, "That conversation can wait. You need to go to a hospital right _now._ "

"Wait," Usopp said, "We need to make sure Torchwick is really out first."

A Bullhead flying into the air answered that question. A new girl in the Bullhead was carrying Torchwick's unconscious body on her shoulder.

Usopp glared, aiming a shot at the escaping Bullhead, but Weiss held out her hand.

"Wait, Usopp! Shooting down an aircraft in a populated area like this is too dangerous! And you shouldn't be moving around in the first place!"

Usopp hesitated for a second before relenting and unloading his shot.

"Now, let's get you to a hospital."

* * *

The next afternoon, Team RWBY, Sun, and Neptune all took an airship to Vale. Usopp had to be dropped off at a hospital there, but they all decided to visit him after classes. The whole day, Blake had been even more reserved than normal, hardly participating in any class activities besides taking notes. She had stack of detailed notes she took in order to make up for the classes that Usopp missed. Although, as they got closer and closer to Vale, Blake couldn't stop thinking about the previous night.

Ruby was taking care of Usopp's bag and slingshot, which she treated with great care. Although that didn't stop her from feeling the texture of the plant-based weapon.

"So, team, uh… do you think Usopp's got better yet?" Ruby awkwardly asked.

"Of course not! Did you not see how injured he was?" Weiss responded.

"Well… He was still conscious even when he got to the hospital, so I thought maybe-"

"It was probably just adrenaline. Honestly, it's surprising that he even survived at all. Atlas military-grade weapons are no joke."

"Oh..."

Blake looked down on the floor with guilt.

"And you Blake!" Weiss continued, "Don't think I haven't noticed how down you've been acting. So, what is wrong?"

Blake glanced around before sighing. Torchwick and his involvement with the White Fang was still bothering her, and she planned on spending a great deal of time investigating, but that wasn't the most pressing issue for her at the moment.

Right now, she was downcast because of guilt. "I… I don't think I can face Usopp right now."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Usopp told me not to enter the building I did because Torchwick was there. But I entered in anyways, and Usopp got injured horribly because of that. If I waited for the rest of the team to get there..."

"Wait a second there," Sun said, "It's not like I objected to entering either."

"Also, you got the most useful information out of all of us," Yang said.

"But still… Why did it have to be Usopp? He was the most adamant about how dangerous this could be, but..."

"You should talk to Usopp about it," Ruby said.

"What?"

"He was the one who got injured, but it might not be as bad as it looks. If Usopp holds a grudge, you should try and apologize, but if he's fine, then you shouldn't worry too much about it."

"...Yeah… you're right. I should just go and see him."

Soon enough, the airship arrived in Vale and Blake steeled her nerves.

* * *

The hospital wasn't too far away, and the members of Team RWBY plus Sun and Neptune filed in with Ruby and went straight to the front desk.

"Excuse me sir, but is Usopp available to visit?" Ruby asked

"Let me check, what is his family name?"

"I… don't know."

The man at the desk frowned before typing in Usopp into his computer. "Well, it looks like there's only one Usopp here anyways. It seems like he's in the waiting room right now, and he's cleared to leave."

While Ruby looked happy, everyone else's eyes widened with shock.

"That can't be right. He was seriously injured just last night!" Weiss said.

"Last night, huh? Well, it wasn't my shift then so I wouldn't know. If you want to know more, then you can ask him about it."

The six made their way to the waiting room, and Weiss still was doubtful. "Did that guy really check the right Usopp?"

"Come on Weiss," Ruby responded, "How many people are named Usopp? It's a pretty unique name, and it doesn't seem to be related to any color."

In the next moment, the group entered the waiting room, and along with a few others, there was Usopp sitting in a chair with a hospital gown on. He had his old clothes folded in his lap, but they looked damaged. Usopp looked incredibly bored, but he was physically fine. Even his nose, which was previously broken, was healed with some bandages wrapped around it. Although, his boredom was curbed when he noticed the group that entered the room.

"Hey everyone!"

"Usopp, are you sure that you're actually healed up?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, mostly at least. I don't need to be in a hospital anymore, but I've been told to take it easy for a little. I feel fine though."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Did you unlock some kind of self-healing Semblance?"

"Probably not. The doctor also thought of that, but my Aura levels stayed normal throughout the night. Although, isn't it normal for Aura to heal injuries?"

"Minor ones! It doesn't mend broken bones overnight!"

"Milk does though. I had some milk last night, so that's probably it."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Right..."

"Hey, I'm serious! I know a talking skeleton that heals himself by drinking milk."

Weiss sighed. "And I'm sure he was right there to see you kill your first huge Grimm at three years old."

"Oh no, I only met him two years ago. Only my village has seen my early accomplishments."

"Well," Yang said, "at least it seems that you're acting like usual. Anyways, let's get out of here."

Usopp was handed his things by Ruby, and the group left. On their way to the airship, Usopp noticed that almost everyone else was giving him a lot of space besides Blake. Or, more that everyone was giving Usopp _and_ Blake space.

Blake looked around around and took a deep breath. "Um… Usopp?"

"Hm? Oh wait, do I smell or something? Everyone else is kind of keeping their distance."

"What? No! I just… I'm sorry. Last night, you got injured because I decided to go in despite your warning."

"...Is there really a problem? No one died, and it's not like I'm crippled or anything. There were seven of us, and only one got any serious injuries. I'd say that we got pretty lucky, well _I_ didn't get lucky, but that's besides the point. I guess I was so awesome that Torchwick couldn't help but try and get rid of me, ha ha."

"But, you were _hospitalized_. If I had just waited for everyone else to get there, then none of that would have happened."

"It wasn't that bad… ok, sure, it hurt a lot. But you know I used to fight a lot without Aura or anything protecting me. I broke my bones all the time, although I can't say that I'll ever get used to it. And, looking back, I shouldn't have ran from Torchwick. If I just faced him instead of turning my back to flee, then I might have been able to evade his attacks. In terms of recklessness, I would say that you're refreshingly cautious compared to what I've had to deal with before, so don't worry so much about it."

Blake was just silent for a minute before muttering a thanks.

* * *

On the airship, Ruby gave a look at Blake who just gave a thumb up in response. Everything had turned out well.

As they flew back, Ruby couldn't help but ask a question that she had ever since she talked to the receptionist at the front desk at the hospital.

"Hey, Usopp, this might be kinda random, but what is your family name?"

Usopp blinked a few times at the unexpected question before shrugging. "I don't know. I might have one, but if I was ever told it, I don't remember. I probably just don't have one though."

Everyone was silent as they began thinking of the potential implications of this. Well, everyone except Neptune at least.

"Well, if you had a family name, surely your parents would have mentioned it, right?" Neptune untactful asked.

Sun cringed, but Usopp only frowned for a fraction of a second before laughing. "Ha, I'm sure they would have, but I guess I can't fault you for not knowing that I set out to sea when I was just three years old."

"Your third year of life was quite eventful," Weiss commented.

"Naturally, but my point is that I haven't seen my parents for a while. I never really thought about my family name before, but I'll be sure to ask them about it when if I return."

Neptune nodded sagely. "Three years, huh? I remember adventuring on my own at the age of two." He winked at Weiss.

Usopp laughed. "You know, the island I came from was no small place. I was crawling around to explore everywhere when I was only one. I had to fight Beowolves and Ursas, and I did a better job than the local defenders."

"Oh really? Well when I was..."

As the two went on, the tension that had built up had all but disappeared.

* * *

Sun and Neptune went off on their own, while Team RWBY and Usopp travelled back to their dorms. Usopp changed into his school uniform.

Now that Usopp was back, it was finally time for something that had been delayed for far too long. Team JNPR was also in their dorm, so everyone was ready to get their Team Flags from Usopp. The flag the brought out first belonged to Team JNPR.

"Alright Jaune, how do you like it?"

Jaune widened his eyes at how Usopp had transformed his crappy little sketch into something of artistic value. Everyone else was also impressed, and it made Ruby more exited to see what Usopp had made for her team.

The flag itself was white, with the image of a Juniper Tree on it. Even small details like the texture of the bark, shading of the leaves, and shadows. On the tree were four 'berries' of varying colors. One was pink, the second yellow, the third green, and the last was red. On each berry, there was also a small emblem. The pink one had a hammer with a lightning bolt through it. The yellow one had the emblem on Jaune's shield. The green one had a blossoming flower, while the red one had a spear.

"Wow… it's awesome. Thanks, Usopp."

"No problem, Jaune. Anyways, if you want, you can put this up on your door. I'll go get RWBY's flag now."

"Well, it's not just mine," Ruby said.

"I was talking about the team from the start," Usopp said.

"Oh right, that can be a bit confusing."

By the time Usopp had come out with RWBY's flag, JNPR's flag had already been hung up on the door. Everyone's eyes turned to the flag. The people from Team JNPR were surprised by the general look of the flag, while Team RWBY, who already knew what the general design was, were just impressed by the detail put in.

To put it simply, Team RWBY's flag was a Jolly Roger. It was black with a white skull, although when compared to Usopp's Straw Hat Flag, that was where the similarities ended.

The 'crossbones' were actually Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster. Ruby and Weiss respectively appreciated the amount of detail on the painted weapons that made them almost look like the real thing. Yang was represented by the fact that the skull was on fire, and Blake was represented by the skull's black bow.

 _If I ever change my mind about wearing this bow, then I'll have to ask him to update the flag. I can't imagine that happening anytime soon though,_ Blake thought.

"Thanks, Usopp, you made my design look really cool," Ruby said.

"It's not a problem. Although, to be honest, I'm surprised that you went for a Jolly Roger for your Team Flag."

"A Jolly Roger?"

Usopp blinked. "You don't know what a Jolly Roger is?"

"No..."

Ruby looked around at the rest of her team, but they didn't seem to recognize the term either. Blake and Weiss felt that they had read it in a book somewhere, but they couldn't place the context off the top of their heads.

"Oh come on, how about Team JNPR?" Usopp asked.

Team JNPR shook their heads.

 _How do they not know what a Jolly Roger is? Although, pirates were pretty much missing in any topics that I've researched._

"Alright. A Jolly Roger is a pirate's mark. It usually has a skull and crossbones in the design, but what makes up the symbol can vary greatly."

"What's a pirate?" Ruby asked.

Although the mention of pirates actually jogged Weiss and Blake's memories a little, so Weiss got the chance to answer before Usopp. "Pirates are basically sea-bandits that appear in a few fictional works. They don't exist in real life though. Grimm out in the ocean tend to be larger and stronger than what appears on land, and it's much harder to keep and eye out for Grimm. Being at sea also limits the amount of populated places they can raid. If any populated island chains existed, then that might change."

"Oh," Ruby responded, "But Usopp, if a Jolly Roger is basically a sea-bandit mark, then why do you have one as your flag?"

"Oh, that's simple. It's because I'm a pirate."

 **A/N:** **If pirates are introduced in the next volume then I swear... Anyways, pirates haven't really been shown to exist in the RWBYverse, so I'm just going with the idea that they don't exist. The closest to pirates that we have seen were the people on the transport ship to Menagerie that had pirate like designs(which I'll personally say that they might have been inspired by some fictional work), but I seriously doubt that they were actual pirates. If they do exist, then FML I guess.**


	9. Master Thief

Everyone just blinked a few times at Usopp's declaration.

Weiss facepalms. "Come on, Usopp, I _just_ said that pirates don't exist in real life. Do you really expect any of us to believe such an obvious lie?"

 _Oh, it was a lie,_ Ruby silently thought.

Weiss had expected Usopp to suddenly double down on his lie, or just laugh at the moments of silence he caused.

However, he did none of that. Rather, Usopp just raised his eyebrows.

"I don't think he's lying this time," Blake said somewhat warily.

 _It wasn't a lie after all!_ Ruby thought.

"So… you're a sea-bandit?" Ruby asked.

Usopp sighed. "No, of course not. I am a pirate, not a _sea-bandit_."

"And what exactly would the difference be?" Weiss asked, "Because as far as any of us know, you just admitted to being a murderer who goes around raiding villages."

"Usopp isn't the type who would do that," Ruby countered.

"I _know_ Ruby, but he should really explain."

"Alright," Usopp said, "To be honest, I'm not sure what was written about pirates in whatever _fictional_ books you've read, so I don't know what to correct. For a start though, I don't go around raiding villages, and I am not a murderer. I can't say that for every pirate, though. As for what me and my crewmates did, it was mostly adventuring and getting ourselves into trouble. We fought a lot of people, although when we did fight, it was either because they attacked us, or they had it coming. Anyways, long story short, I'm not a bad guy. Do you have any questions?"

Usopp was hardly prepared for everyone asking something at once, and he quickly held his hands up. "One at a time, Weiss first."

Weiss took in a breath. "First, you said that there are _some_ pirates who are murderers like I would expect, so how many of those pirates are there compared to what you are? Second, you seem to talk about pirates like they are common, so why hasn't anyone heard about them?"

"Hmm, for the first one, I guess the vast majority of pirates that my crewmates and I encountered were total scum, with some very notable exceptions. As for the second, I don't know. It's probably the same reason why I've never heard of Dust or Aura or anything. None of the people I encountered used or knew anything about that either, I guess we are just in an isolated island chain of the world."

Weiss looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but Usopp moved on to Blake.

"What drove you to quit?"

Usopp faltered for a moment. "What? Quit! I… I'm still a pirate. I hung up my crew's flag on my door after all."

"Then, why did you leave?" Blake asked, ignoring the fact that it was supposed to be Ruby's turn. Everyone let it slide as Blake was rewording her question more than asking an entirely new one. Also, Weiss had already more or less broke the unwritten rules by asking two questions back to back.

"I left… because..."

Usopp had already thought of a few possible lies to tell, like being caught up in a freak storm, but his mind froze for a few moments every time he thought about the subject. Thoughts about how his crew was faring that he had pushed to the back of his mind resurfaced, and now he was wondering if they thought he disappeared, or if they thought that he simply _left and ran away,_ abandoning the crew in what was probably going to be their most difficult fight yet. The thought made him unconsciously frown, as he couldn't really blame anyone for thinking that way.

Ruby, noticing his discomfort, decided to ask her own question. "I was wondering, why did you decide to become a Huntsman?"

 _I never did specify that the questions had to be related to the fact that I'm a pirate, did I?._

"Ah, that's simple enough. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to follow my Dad's footsteps and become a brave warrior of the sea. Although, while being at sea is important, the core of that dream is becoming brave. When I heard somewhere that Huntsmen and Huntresses were the brave warriors who protected the country, I decided to take the entrance exam here. I'm still a pirate, but I guess my adventures at sea are on a bit of a hiatus. And, for Blake's question earlier… I don't feel like talking about it."

"But Usopp," Ruby said, "you're already pretty brave."

Usopp just laughed. "I don't think you've been paying much attention. If I feel that the odds are against me, I pretty much always end up running away. Remember Torchwick and his mech? I was running away and I got hospitalized for it. If I was really a brave warrior, I would have stayed behind to act as a rearguard so Sun and Blake could escape unhindered. Anyways, I think it's Yangs turn?"

"So, you said yourself that there are plenty of murderous pirates out there. What makes _those_ pirates any different from bandits?"

"Hmm… Admittedly, some of the people that I've come across on the sea should certainly be called sea-bandits. They call themselves pirates because no self-respecting person would ever refer to themselves as a sea-bandit, and other pirates would certainly look down on them. Although none if this is really set in stone or even properly defined, I feel that what separates a _pirate_ from a common bandit is their ambition and determination. A Pirate Flag is a symbol of their unwavering determination to fulfill their ambition against all odds. Compared to that, bandits and some 'pirates' are more hollow."

Now, being Jaune's turn, he asked, "So… have you ever gotten seasick before?"

"Huh?"

Usopp was honestly taken off guard by the mundane question. Compared to everything that came before, it felt almost underwhelming.

Yang laughed. "What, did you want to feel better about yourself Vomit Boy?"

"Hey! That nickname is almost two semesters old at this point! And also… well, all of the good questions were taken so I couldn't think of anything better, ok?!"

Usopp composed himself and decided to answer the question. "I can't say that I have, and I would never talk about it if I did get it."

"Oh..." Jaune mumbled dejectedly. "Wait, you could be lying!"

"I am not."

"Still… there's a chance that you actually have gotten seasick."

"Alright… Well, moving on to Ren..."

Ren looked thoughtful for a few moments before replying, "I believe that I will need some time to think about this. If I come up with any questions later, I will be sure to ask you then."

"That's cheating!" Jaune complained, "Come on Usopp, make him ask something!"

"What? You're the leader of JNPR, order him yourself!"

"Oh right! Ren… Even if it's something simple- no, actually the simpler the better, could you..."

Ren sighed, but he decided to listen to his friend. "How long have you been a pirate?"

"For a little while more than two years."

"So, you started when you were 15 years old?"

"15? No, I was 17 when I became a pirate. I'm 19 now."

"19?!" Ruby and a few others exclaimed.

"That's right. I guess I never mentioned that before, did I? Anyways, Nora?"

"Can you tell me about your craziest tales from your pirate adventures?"

"Sure… But later. That would take a lot of time, but don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you about all of the mighty foes I've vanquished at some point. Alright, as the only person left, it's Pyrrha's turn."

"Alright then. I was just wondering how strong you are compared to the rest of your crew."

"I'm dead last."

"...Um… try to at least give yourself some credit."

"Alright, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration. I guess I can compromise and say that I'm _tied_ for the dead last spot."

"What?"

"Fine, fine, taking Aura and Dust into account, I could, very reluctantly, take eighth place… out of nine crewmembers."

"...You're serious."

"If I was lying, then I would say that I was tied for first place, with possibly my impressive Aura letting me take the lead once and for all. But no, my crewmates are strong, and some of them impossibly so. But even so, each of us has something they can do that no one else on the crew is good at, like navigating through impossibly rough storms, or somehow keeping the crew alive after all the injures we get. For me, I'm the sniper. I make shots that no one else can, and take out foes before they even know there is an enemy. At least, that's how it works in theory. In practice, I usually just get my bones broken by enemies I have no business fighting. I've only really been able to show off my sniping skills on a few but notably important situations, such as when I unlocked my weird non-semblance aura sensing super power."

Which was also known as Observation Haki, but Usopp was not aware that his power was haki. At least not yet…

"But anyways, I think that's enough questions. Unless anyone has anything urgent to ask."

"Well," Ruby started, "I have plenty of things I'd _like_ to ask... but it's not urgent."

"Wait," Weiss said, "I do have something important! How much of what you've told us was a lie?"

"It was mostly the truth. If I told you what I lied about, you'd probably think that I was lying. But for now, there's something else I want to show to everyone. I think you all might be surprised."

Everyone waited as Usopp went back into his room and exited with two carts full of… merchandise. There were t-shirts, hoodies, socks, cups, hand-sized flags, baseball caps, and other various things all with either RWBY's or JNPR's team symbol on them.

"If you ever wondered why it took me so long just to paint a couple of flags, this is why. I plan on selling this during the upcoming Vytal Festival, so I hope you guys do well and earn plenty of fans. I want to earn enough Lien so I don't have to clean bathrooms anymore."

"So, then you're not participating in the tournament?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, Usopp, what gives? You could totally show off and probably win the whole thing," Yang said.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't _like_ fighting. A tournament just doesn't appeal to me at all. I have some other reasons too, but I'll be sure to root for all of you."

 _I definitely do not want to show the entire world how effective Pop Greens are. It would basically be an invitation for anyone who ever desired power to steal from me._

"It's his decision, guys, so we should just respect that," Ruby said.

The rest of RWBY and JNPR nodded their heads.

"Thanks everyone, but that wasn't the primary reason why I was showing you this. First of all, if you want to change your team symbol Ruby, now would be the time to speak up. I assumed that you already knew what a Jolly Roger was, but I still should have asked if you were sure before I made a bunch of merchandise with the symbol on it."

Ruby only though for a moment before saying, "Nah, I'll keep it. A Jolly Roger is basically a symbol for never giving up on your dreams, right? I like that, I don't want to ever give up on protecting those who can protect themselves, and making the world a better place. That's why I want to become a Huntress after all."

"That kind of ambition is admirable. Anyways, my second reason isn't as important, but I just wanted to make sure all of you were alright with me making money off of your battle performance."

No one raised any objections.

* * *

The next day, Usopp was watching Pyrrha easily deal with the entirety of Team CRDL by herself. Considering that she was fighting four people at once, it wasn't too one sided, but Pyrrha was definitely winning.

Soon enough, Team CRDL was on the floor with Pyrrha being declared the winner.

Usopp had other things on his mind though, like deciding on whether he could get away with doing research on his scroll in class. Although, in the end, he decided against it. If he had any breakthrough but was then yelled at by the teacher, he may lose his train of thought.

Usopp's senses could be extremely selective at times, so when he saw Mercury pointing at him for his choice in a sparring opponent, Usopp instantly reacted. Popping a ketchup star in his mouth, slumping back into his seat, and letting out some fake pained groans, he fell into an act that he practiced since coming back from the hospital.

"Ugh… my life-threatening-pre-duel-post-hospital visit chronic back pain and internal bleeding syndrome is acting up again… Ah… I'm dying… my lungs are punctured… by my spine..."

Usopp could hear some giggles from his classmates.

Mercury had his eyebrows raised. "Really?"

"Usopp..." Glynda started tiredly, "You've already been cleared from any spars for the next week, there is no need to put on a show for the class. Despite how much _some_ of your classmates are enjoying this."

Any giggling from other students stopped.

Usopp's posture straitened immediately, and he started wiping off the ketchup that had run down his face. "Oh, really? Awesome, but you heard her Mercury, pick someone else!"

"Fine. In that case… I'll pick _her_."

* * *

Usopp and Team RWBY had already made it a far ways away from class when they heard a voice from someone behind them. Looking back, they saw Emerald with a notebook in her hands, and she was waving it in the air.

"Ruby! I think you dropped this in class!"

Ruby recognized the notebook and gasped. It was the notebook that had descriptions and drawings of all of the Pop Greens that Usopp told her about a while ago. It had more pages left, so she even wrote down ideas for potential team attacks utilizing Pop Greens.

"Oh, thanks Emerald! I can't believe I was so careless..."

"It's no problem. It seemed important, and it had your name on it."

After handing the notebook back, Emerald waved them farewell and walked away in the opposite direction. Around a corner, she reunited with Mercury.

"Aw, you're such a great friend!"

"Shut up."

"How about no? But seriously, you _did_ get pictures, right?"

"What do you think?"

"Any good info?"

Emerald smirked. "From what I skimmed, absolutely. There was even something that will help our job this afternoon go smoother."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. Usopp apparently has some form of extrasensory perception that lets him see the Auras of people, even from a long distance. It was mentioned as something that would help in certain team attacks."

"That could've been bad."

"No kidding… But now that I know about it, I will be able to handle it. I'll read through more thoroughly, and then we should go."

* * *

Usopp plopped down on his bed, taking a short break before heading to the library. He just spent some time finishing up his homework for the day, so he was free for the rest of the day. Or, as free as he ever could be when his crewmates were undoubtedly facing many adversities without him.

 _Just one more minute… Don't worry guys, I'll be back before you know it, ha ha ha… oh, who am I kidding?! How many decades will it be before I'm even given hope on some obscure lead to get home? Will I even be going back to my crew, or will I just see their graves? No no no, I_ have _to believe… I have to believe that no matter how many years pass, the crew will still have adventures left to go on. I just hope they'll believe me when I say why I was gone. Bah, there's so much to hope for, and so little to reinforce that hope. I hope that I can make it home. I hope that everyone is alright. I hope they didn't think that I just ran away. I hope-_

Usopp was jolted out of his thoughts by knocking on the door. _Did Nora come for stories already?_

He activated his sensory ability and noticed that it was in fact Mercury and Emerald who were outside the door.

 _I wonder what they want._

Rubbing his eyes and yawning, he got out of bed and opened the door. "Hello, do you need something?"

Emerald said, "Well, actually, Mercury and I were doing a school project that was assigned to us back where we're from. We kind of… procrastinated this for a while, but our project involves studying dorm conditions, so we would like a few minutes just to check out your dorm."

"A project on dorm conditions? Is that really something you'd have to do at a Huntsmen academy?"

"Ugh, tell me about it. It's not the dumbest thing our teachers have had us done, but I'd like to just get it over with. We won't take too much of your time."

"Alright then, go on ahead."

Usopp led the two into his room, and then promptly fell on the bed facedown. "Don't mind me, I'm just getting a little rest while I can."

Although Usopp was making snoring noises, he was actually awake and checking on Emerald and Mercury's auras with his haki. He was a bit suspicious of them, so if they were going to try and do anything, it would be when he was seemingly not paying any attention.

There was a large curtain that divided the room in two. One one side had his living area, his bathroom, his artistic workbench, and all of his beds. The other was entirely dedicated to growing and taking care of his Pop Greens. If any of the two were to head over to that side, Usopp would get up and tell them that it was off limits.

Over the next few minutes, Usopp was surprised that neither of the two ever wandered behind the curtain, and he wasn't even asked what was even behind it. The two only seemed interested in his living side, and only took a few pictures. A few minutes in, he got up from his bed and decided to watch them directly while checking out the news on his scroll. Even so, they did nothing suspicious. The next time he was talked to was when they said that they were done. He sensed them checking out a few other dorms after his as well

 _Huh, maybe I was just a bit paranoid._

* * *

Emerald smirked as the two left for the guest dorm building.

"That went smoothly," Mercury said.

"What can I say," Emerald said as she held a handful of Pop Green seeds in her pocket, "I'm a master thief."


	10. Dance

Cinder smirked as she gazed upon the multicolored seeds that were now secured in a ziploc bag. The more she looked through the information gathered by Emerald on the Pop Greens, the more reluctant she became of what she would have to do with them.

Letting this _power_ just slip through her fingers didn't feel right. Surely, using the seeds couldn't be _that_ hard. Just a gust of wind and she could send the seeds into the ground. It would be no different from using a slingshot of all things like that long nosed man.

On the other hand though, if something _could_ go wrong, she certainly didn't want to be the unfortunate soul who found out. And from the pictures that Emerald took of the notebook, there were definite warnings about handing the Pop Greens without proper training and instruction.

She sighed, deciding that she would let someone else figure out any problems that could arise, while she just focused on her current plan for now. Now that they were stolen with information on how to produce more, managing the plan for getting the rest of the Fall Maiden's power was a priority.

Tomorrow morning, she would head off to Vale and deliver the seeds to Arthur Watts, as per her orders.

* * *

As Ruby, Weiss, and Yang prepared to go to sleep, Ruby frowned. The business with Blake spending far too much time on her investigation reminded her of Usopp. While Usopp told her that he would be going to bed at reasonable times, there was a possibility that he just lied. This kind of behavior was worrying her, but she still hoped that she was just being paranoid.

"Hey, team, I'm just going to wait outside for a bit."

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"I'm just checking in on Usopp. You can go to sleep without me, I'll be quiet when I come back in."

Weiss looked at Yang, who just shrugged.

"Don't stay up too late you dolt."

"Of course I won't."

The first thing Ruby did was knock on Usopp's door. "Sorry if I woke you up Usopp, but I just wanted to check on you."

She waited a minute before knocking again. Another minute, another knock, and after her fifth time knocking, she decided that Usopp was either asleep like a rock, or he was indeed still up and away from his room. Ruby suspected that it was indeed the later case, and she decided to sit down against the wall.

She needed to know just how late Usopp was staying up.

* * *

It was 4:03 AM. Usopp yawned and stretched his arms as he walked back to his dorm room. Another rather uneventful day of research has come to an end. No real progress was made today, but that was pretty much expected. He still had his old leads, but he wasn't in a position to pursue them. He would have to leave the school, or maybe he could just request a transfer.

 _Why don't I just do that? I… I'm not sure why I don't want to. Is it because of Torchwick? Or maybe the friends I made here? No, that can't be. If I knew I would return to the Strawhats, and if I knew that they would be alive when I got back, then there would be no hesitation. I would certainly say goodbye to everyone first, but I wouldn't look back. But that's a lot of ifs. Maybe it's the uncertainty that's the problem. But then, how will I ever return if I don't even think small leads are worth pursuing. It's not like I'll ever get a guarantee when it comes to something crazy like inter-world travel._

When he got close to his room, he noticed someone sitting against the wall next to his dorm door. A set of silver eyes that almost seem to glow turned towards him.

 _Ah, that's not good. Maybe I can pretend that I'm someone else since it's so dark._

"Hey, Usopp."

Usopp coughed. "Ah, young lady, it seems that you've mistaken me for my close friend. I'm actually-"

"Usopp, we need to talk. Seriously."

"Look, Ruby, I know that I stayed up late tonight, but I'm just making up for a bit of lost time. I won't make a habit of it, so you shouldn't worry about it."

"Usopp, you are just as much a member of Team RWBY as anyone else is as far as I'm concerned, so you're well being is my responsibility. And even disregarding my duty, you're also my friend and I have a right to worry. I don't know exactly what you're doing, but if it's taking so much time, can't we help you? Why do you need to do this alone when you have friends?"

"Why do I… Gah, Ruby, there isn't really a point for you or anyone else to get involved with this. It's just some stupid thing I do so I can tell myself that I haven't given up on something that's just crazy and hopeless, alright?! It's..."

"It's important, right?"

"...Yeah."

"If it's so important that you are willing to disregard your own well being, then that's even more of a reason for you to say what you're not telling me or anyone else."

Usopp sighed and sat down next to Ruby. "The part I'm not telling you is the crazy and hopeless part. Even if you believed me, I'm sure you would come to your senses as soon as you told Yang or Weiss or anyone else who has the sense to tell that I lie spontaneously."

"If you want, I don't have to mention anything to Weiss or Yang."

"Ruby… Honestly, if you ended up helping me, you'd probably just waste your time. It's something I have to do alone because it's crazy. I don't mind wasting my life away, but I can't do that to a friend just because they feel some sympathy for me."

"...Can you just… just tell me what I need to do. And why this is crazy or hopeless. I think it's just you being negative, there's no way things are that bad."

 _I'm really going to just have to say it to get her off my back, wont I?_

"Oh really? Things _are_ that bad. You see, Remnant is not my home world. All of my pirate friends are so far away that I don't think that I'll ever see them again. The fact that there are humans here that share the same language is strange, but I know that whatever world I'm from, the moon wasn't shattered like that."

Ruby's eyes widened, but she had already decided that she was going to believe him. "So… you want to go home?"

"Yes, but that's not all. Before I basically fell into a hole and ended up in Vale, my crew was preparing for a huge battle against one of the most powerful pirate crews in the world. That was many months ago though. So, by now it would all be over, but it was still just so… so frustrating..."

Usopp began to tear up.

"It was just so frustrating… I knew that my friends were fighting and possibly dying, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do. I don't want to go back just to see everyone's graves. I've tried, I've really tried not to think about it. I've tried being positive. It's hard though, so I try to spend my time finding out a way to go back home. So, you see Ruby, this isn't something that you want to get involved in. Only a fool like me would think that the secrets to inter-world travel could be found in a school library, and such a thing might not even be possible in the first place. And the whole idea of me being from another world is crazy enough, even for me. Do you see why this is hopeless, stupid, and crazy now?"

"Usopp… No, I don't think that this is hopeless or stupid."

"Wha-Ruby, there's a limit to-"

"You got here in the first place, so there has to be a way back."

"I got here by falling in a hole. How does that help at all?"

"It helps because it shows that travelling between worlds is possible. You fell through a hole, but if we know how that hole formed and why it sent you here instead of anywhere else, we could be that much closer to getting you home. For something that strange, I'd imagine that it might be some undiscovered type of Dust or even a Semblance."

 _Or a Devil Fruit._

"Could something like Dust really make some sort of portal?"

"I don't know, but it can certainly do all sorts of crazy things. But I'm sure that we'll find a way, even if takes a while."

"A while… yeah. But even so, I just know that my crew is going to get into more fights than the one I mentioned. I don't even know if they are alive right now, and the more time that passes, the more likely it is that I'll be going back to someone's gra-"

Ruby put a hand of Usopp's shoulder. "I'm sure they're alive and well. And even if they get in a bunch of fights with a bunch of strong dudes, aren't they super strong too? Like you're crazy strong, but you said that you're one of the weakest in the crew. Unless that's just more of your negativity, I _know_ for a fact that they can take care of themselves. So, how about you just focus on getting home and staying alive yourself, and let them worry about their battles."

Usopp slumped against the wall, silent for almost a minute. Then, he wiped away his tears. "Yeah, you're right. Dammit, you're _so_ right. Luffy, my captain, is too stubborn and dumb to ever die. And if he's alive, he's the type of man who will go to Hell and back to protect his crew. You know… thanks Ruby."

"It's no problem at all."

"I still think you're way too optimistic and positive, you know."

"Hey-"

"But... maybe, I can be a little too realistic. Being realistic wont help right now, I'll have to fantasize and hope."

"You're not realistic at all, just negative."

"Same thing. I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop worrying about them, but you're right. They can handle themselves. But anyways, you should go to sleep. Do you know how late it is?"

"And who's at fault here? But actually, I had a request for you before you go to bed."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Well, I'm going to be helping you with your research, so do you think you could find the time to go to the upcoming dance?"

"Why? It's not like there's anyone I would dance with."

"You don't need to dance if you don't want too. I'm kind of in the same boat as you, but I plan on relaxing and drinking fruit punch. And maybe watching some of our classmates fail at dancing too. I want you to go because you need to relax, rest up, and just take a break. Everyone else is going as well so they can rest before we hopefully get a mission that helps us follow up on the info we got from Blake and Sun."

"In that case, I suppose I can accept. But you know, Blake is still in the library right now. Is she really going to this dance?"

"She said no, but my sister Yang said that at she would convince her before the dance. Unless you have anything else to say..."

"No, I'm good. I'm sorry about making you stay up this late, but goodnight."

"Don't worry too much about it, it kind of sucked but now that I've had the conversation with you, I think it was worth it. Goodnight."

As soon as Usopp made it to his bed, he fell asleep peacefully, for the first time in a while.

* * *

It was dark out, and Usopp was walking towards the building where the dance was being held. For a lack of better clothing options, he decided to show up in his typical overalls with a green shirt underneath. Although he did decide to forgo his headphones. No one told him that he _had_ to dress nicely, although Usopp wouldn't have cared even if someone did.

When he entered, he noticed that it was Yang who was at the front desk. She seemed to give him an appraising look, probably because of his outfit.

"Did you just come here in overalls?"

"Yeah, it's what I feel comfortable wearing."

Yang laughed. "Ruby is going to be upset, I made her show up in a dress and high heels. And I'm pretty sure that you're the only dude here who isn't wearing a shirt and tie."

"Bah, I'll just be hiding in the corner anyways. I'm not getting a suit."

" _Suit_ yourself. At least you didn't bring your slingshot."

Usopp continued onward, and he spotted Ruby standing next to the fruit punch bowl. He waved at her, and Ruby waved back before getting a good look at Usopp's outfit.

"It's… It's not fair! Usopp, how could you?"

Usopp filled up a glass with fruit punch and took a sip. "I'm glad that no one forced me to wear anything fancy."

"Now you're just rubbing it in!"

"It's called relaxing, and you were the one who ordered me to do it."

"...No fair..."

"I'm a pirate and a liar, how fair do you expect me to be?"

"I can hope."

"And that's the problem."

Usopp and Ruby noticed Jaune heading their way. When he got closer, he asked, "So, did you two decide to go out together?"

"Nah," Ruby said, "We're just hiding."

"Oh, I'm surprised that no one asked you out Usopp. During all of your spars, you kind of gave off a cool vibe," Jaune said.

"It's not a problem, I don't even like dancing anyways."

Jaune filled up his own glass and held it up. "To the socially awkward."

They all chuckled and clinked glasses. "Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss," Ruby said.

"Meh, it's fine. Neptune's pretty cool. I get why she went with him."

"It doesn't look like Weiss is with Neptune at all based on their Auras," Usopp said.

"Wait, what?"

"She said that she had too much to focus on to worry about boys," Ruby said.

"...Hold my punch..."

Jaune left, leaving his punch with Ruby who took a sip right after he left. "So, Usopp, I'll start helping you out tomorrow, although we'll have to balance that with Torchwick stuff."

"I guess you'll be doing that no matter what I say."

"Yep."

"Then thanks again. It might take a few decades, but we'll succeed."

"While surprisingly positive for you, I really don't think that it will take that long. Like maybe, a year?"

"Of course you'd think that. But hey, I don't know if it's the dance or just me getting stuff off of my chest, but I definitely feel a lot better."

"Maybe it's both."

"You might be right."

After a while of hiding, their attention immediately shifted to Jaune who changed into a dress and asked Pyrrha out for a dance.

* * *

Emerald and Mercury looked over at everyone at the dance. "It appears all the dancers have partners, and if Usopp uses his ability, he should think that you're just in the bathroom."

"How long do I have?" Cinder asked.

"I'll be able to maintain this until midnight."

"I'll keep my eye on the clock."

* * *

Seeing Jaune in a dress was not something Usopp ever expected to see, but it certainly kept him entertained. He sipped his punch, laughed, cheered, and clapped at the whole display. Compared to the formality of the past, this now felt more like one of the usual parties he would take part in.

Although after that was all over, he made his way back to the punch bowl and refilled his glass. Things have settled down, and the formal atmosphere was back in full force. There was a distinct lack of Ruby however.

 _Wait, did she ditch early? Or are people just allowed to leave whenever they want?_

He scanned the building with his haki, but as he thought, Ruby was nowhere to be found. Although as he checked further outward, she did seem to be in a building with some others who were laying on the floor in awkward positions.

 _Ruby? What is she doing?_

Usopp hesitated for a moment before heading out. It looked like Ozpin was standing at the exit and another man was walking out.

"Hey, Ozpin!" Usopp called out.

He and the other man turned his way. "Ah, Usopp, is something the matter?"

"Possibly. I don't know what that building over there is," he said, pointing at where he sensed Ruby, "but there are a bunch of people who are on the ground in random positions, probably knocked out."

"What?! How do you know this?" asked the other man who was just about to leave.

 _Who's this guy?_

"Uh, well, it's just an ability I have. And who are you?"

"General Ironwood, but that's not important, we should get there immediately."

 _General?! He must be super strong if he's that high up. I wonder if he's suddenly going to turn into ice or light or something._

"Agreed. You should stay here, Usopp. While I don't doubt your abilities, I would rather not ruin this night for you." Ozpin said.

"Alright, but I don't think Ruby is at fault here."

"Nor do I."

Usopp watched as the two ran to the building, constantly checking to see if Ruby was alright. He was somewhat wary of what the General might think. But then again, Ruby was a Huntress in training, not a pirate, so she should have some leeway to either explain herself or explain who actually knocked out all of those people.

Continuing to observe, Usopp noticed that Ruby seemed to be fighting an invisible enemy, but that stopped as soon as Ozpin and Ironwood arrived. Usopp never noticed anything leave the building, so he wondered where it might be, or if was defeated.

Dancing innocently behind him, Emerald was sure to keep a close watch.


	11. Into the Fray

**A/N:** **I've decided that I'm actually going to have an update schedule for this story. So I'll post chapters on the 15th of each month going forward. I usually do monthly chapters give or take a few days anyways, but I still think having a set schedule is a good thing.**

"Usopp no!" Ruby yelled.

Leaning against a 'wall,' Usopp looked at her, confused. "Whoa, why the yelling?"

"You just leaned against the elevator button panel!"

Turning around, he blinked as he saw every button lit up. "Um… is there a way to undo it?" he asked as he tried pushing the buttons again.

"No."

"Can we tell this thing that we just want to skip to the top floor?"

"No, and we're totally going to be late because of you."

The elevator door opened, and they stared awkwardly as it took it's sweet time closing again.

"Gah, who desinged this stupid thing?" Usopp asked.

"It works just fine when you don't lean against the button panel."

* * *

After what felt like an eternity later, the elevator door finally opened to the correct floor. Usopp felt that the button to close the doors faster only worked half of the time.

"Come in," Ozpin said.

They both stepped forward.

"Sorry it took so long, _someone_ accidentally leaned against all of the buttons on the elevator. It wasn't me."

"It wasn't me either," Usopp said.

"Thank you for coming. Now, how are you feeling Ruby?"

"Okay, I guess."

Ironwood said, "Ruby, I feel it is appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could. And Usopp, you did well to notify Ozpin and I as soon as you noticed something strange."

"Thank you, sir," they both replied.

"Now, Usopp, the reason you're here as well is because your Semblance is capable of distinguishing between individuals. Did you recognize whoever Ruby was fighting?" Ozpin asked.

Usopp frowned. "I'm sorry, but I won't be much use here. I kept up my ability from the moment I was looking for Ruby to the moment you all came outside, but I only ever sensed the guards and Ruby herself."

"Was the person Ruby fought a guard?" Ironwood asked.

"No, as the guards were all knocked out from what I could tell. But, it did seem like Ruby was fighting some invisible enemy, so whoever it was had some way to hide from my Aura detection. And to clarify, my ability isn't a Semblance as far as I know since I had it before I unlocked my Aura, and it doesn't use Aura."

Ozpin looked thoughtful. It did indeed seem to explain how Usopp found everyone else by only going straight in Initiation after he defeated his pursuing Grimm. And this was indeed before his Aura was unlocked. There were few possibilities of the origin of this ability, and one had very interesting but dangerous implications.

Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood exchanged a glance before continuing.

"While interesting, I'm afraid that we should move on. Usopp, you may leave now if you want, but we'll just be asking Ruby a few questions."

"Alright, well Ruby, I'll meet you outside your dorm room."

"See you later," Ruby said.

* * *

After Ruby left, Ironwood turned to Ozpin. "About that Usopp… do you think there is any possibility that his ability is magic?"

"...It is unlikely. If it was magic, then it certainly didn't come from me. And he obviously can't be a Maiden. If it truly is magic though… that would be disastrous for all of us, as I can think of only one other source. I would prefer not to think of him as an enemy agent, and he made no real effort to hide both this ability and his other exceptional qualities like you would expect if he truly was against us."

"Other exceptional qualities?" Ironwood asked.

"Well yes, he's an exceptional fighter with a dangerous arsenal at his disposal. A potent combination, potent enough that he has to be limited on what he can use during his spars with his fellow students. Now James, have you ever heard of Pop Greens?"

"I can't say that I have."

"Nor would I expect you to, it's not something that even _I_ ever saw before Usopp arrived here."

The General's eyes widened. "So… what are Pop Greens?"

"They're seeds that grow to their full size almost instantly under certain conditions. So, volatile and dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, but an extremely powerful weapon in the hands of Usopp. In order for Glynda to decide which seeds he was allowed to use in a spar, he gave her a detailed notebook to review. You should take a look at it."

Ozpin pulled the notebook out of a safe under his desk and handed it to Ironwood. He flipped through the pages, mostly looking at the drawings, names, and how many were actually approved by Glynda.

"And all of this comes from seeds? So, compared to mining Dust, producing this would be dirt cheap. I get that they require a lot of skill to use, but why aren't we having Usopp teach anyone else that skill instead of attending here?"

"First of all, Usopp may know how to use them, but that doesn't make him a qualified teacher. Also, even with an experienced teacher, it took him two years to learn how to use them. I believe that delaying the graduation of someone as talented as Usopp that much would be a mistake."

"Is Usopp doing well because of talent, or is it just these Pop Greens?"

"I can assure you," Glynda interjected, "that Usopp is a skilled fighter with or without his Pop Greens. Testing his limits has been… challenging. In his sparring class, I often tell him that he can only use Dust ammunition unless he wants to fight an entire team. Even with only Dust, his combat results are better than anyone else in the class. His glaring weakness would be melee combat, but he has his own tricks for keeping his distance. So, to answer your question, he _is_ talented. While he seems to have already met his potential in some areas, such as his skill with a slingshot, he still has room to grow. And so I think he should stay here and continue learning."

"I see. But what of the person who taught him? Where is he?"

Ozpin said, "Dead, presumably. Usopp said that the island that Pop Greens are from was burnt to the ground. It was implied that all other Pop Greens that existed were destroyed as with that island, which would mean that his teacher must have perished. Unless he escaped without bringing any Pop Greens with him, which seems unlikely."

"If that's the case, then Usopp is our only option for teaching people how to use those seeds. Ozpin, he can be taught how to teach, and it's not like he would spend the rest of his life as a teacher. Just teaching a few people who want to be teachers would be enough. Even if that takes five or ten years, long term it would be worth it."

"James, if Pop Greens become mainstream, do you think that will give us some sort of advantage? Or will it just become another tool for our enemies to use, like Dust?"

"It doesn't have to be _mainstream_ , even just giving it to the people we can trust could be enough to make a difference."

"The more people that know how to use them, the more people the enemy can learn it from. As it stands now, even if the enemy took the seeds from Usopp's dead body, they would have to figure out how to use it by themselves-"

"Which isn't impossible, as someone had to be the first one to learn how to use them."

"True, but it would take time. Perhaps decades, perhaps centuries, but we would have enough time to properly react to the threat."

"So you just want to just react instead of taking preventative measures?"

"I am taking preventative measures by making it far harder for them to ever get those seeds in the first place."

"I don't think you're doing enough."

* * *

Usopp waited outside of Team RWBY's room, admiring the flag that he drew. He never would have admitted it, but it would have hurt a little if Ruby rejected the Jolly Roger because of its association with pirates. For a moment, he imagined the RWBY pirates sailing the high seas and joining the Strawhats adventures, but he shook his head. Just because Ruby liked the idea of unwavering determination didn't mean that she had any desire to become a pirate. And, they all had their own attachments to this world. The only way he could see it being feasible was if they learned how to travel between worlds on a whim, which he couldn't see as a real possibility. At best, it would be a one way trip where he would have to say goodbye to everyone.

He was brought out of his thoughts as he noticed Ruby approaching, clearly done with her part of the discussion.

They waved to each other, and then they both entered the RWBY dorm to give the team an update on what happened.

XXX

After a speech from Ozpin, RWBY plus Usopp were standing in front of the mission board. They found a mission that was in the area where they believed the enemy hideout was, but it was not available for first years.

Ozpin only chose to reveal himself after Ruby proposed mailing themselves to their destination. They talked for a bit before Ozpin really got to his main point. "So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just _bend_ them?"

"We won't let you down. Thank you, professor," Ruby said.

"Do not thank me for this. While Usopp at the very least is more than qualified for this mission, he cannot watch your backs at all times. Be sure you pull your weight, or else the Huntsman you are shadowing can have you sent back at any time. Good luck."

* * *

"Alright team, it will be Usopp's job to find the hideout once we get there. There will be a lot of Grimm, so it will be tough. But I know we can do it. Is everyone ready?" Ruby asked.

"Yep! I got plenty of ammo!" Yang replied.

"Of course I'm ready," Weiss said.

"Don't worry, I brought plenty of Pop Greens and Dust, since I'm sure we'll be facing lot's of Grimm," Usopp said.

Blake just nodded.

"Good work, just remember that we'll all have to do our best for this mission. Now let's go meet the professional Huntsman that we'll be shadowing."

Seeing their history teacher as the Huntsman in question did little to inspire confidence.

* * *

The ride to Mountain Glenn was uneventful, although admittedly uncomfortable. Dr. Oobleck gave the team a brief history quiz on the place, but they were silent for most of the ride.

In the silence, Usopp did what he did best. He channeled the infinite power of his negative imagination.

 _Mountain Glenn is kind of a scary place. It was overrun by Grimm, but surely people would have sent many professional Huntsmen to secure such an expansion, right? Then were they all killed? The pros are all better than any students, so it's hard to imagine that any of the weak Grimm I faced in Initiation could have killed them. Of course, there are stronger Grimm out there like Goliaths and Leviathans, but just how much stronger are they? What if there's some Grimm that's as strong as Kaido lurking there or something? Isn't this bad? Is this some place students should be going to in the first place? Although I guess all of us minus Dr. Coffee would have tried sneaking here anyways… Maybe this was all a mistake. Surely the enemy hideout wouldn't be in some super dangerous Grimm infested ghost town. But if they are… then doesn't that mean that they're strong enough to deal with whatever Grimm comes after them? Are we really only going to find Torchwick and his second rate goons down there, or will there be someone stronger? Gah, why didn't I think of all this before I got on the Bullhead… ugh…_

Soon enough, the Bullhead flew close enough that everyone could see the ruined city. Usopp gulped. By the time they got there, Usopp had already imagined that Mountain Glenn was the meeting spot for the imaginary "Four Grimm Emperors" and their packs, in which they were plotting the world's destruction and Torchwick was in on it too, somehow.

They tried to find a landing spot, but whenever they got close to the ground, swarms of Ursai and Beowolves would come out of the woodwork, forcing the Bullhead to pull up. When the Bullhead would move to a new location, so would the Grimm.

"This is strange," Dr. Oobleck commented, "The concentration of Grimm seems to be much higher than what was thought to be here."

Grimm also started to gather from the area surrounding the city, and even though they were in the air, they seemed to almost be following them.

"Even for a town that suffered from a tragedy, this level of attraction is rare. I wonder what it is about this Bullhead that seems to draw them to us so much, as there's no way this small group could produce that much negativity."

As soon as Dr. Oobleck mentioned negativity, everyone from Team RWBY immediately turned their attention towards Usopp.

"Are you being… Usoppy, Usopp?" Ruby asked.

"What kind of question is that?! I'm not being too negative. I'm just thinking about how we're all probably going to die because of the crazy strong Grimm that are probably inhabiting-"

Ruby gave Usopp a quick chop to the head. "That _is_ too negative! Look down there, it's just simple Grimm that we've all fought before. We can still do this if we work together."

"Actually," Dr. Oobleck said, "We'll have to call off this mission. There simply is no safe place to land. I can't endanger the pilot like that."

Members of Team RWBY tried to protest, but Dr. Oobleck had already made up his mind. Usopp was silent, as he realized that this situation was his fault for letting himself drift off into the deep end in terms of negativity. And if the hideout really was here, then running away would cause more problems down the road. At the same time, blaming himself in silence would just make things worse.

Before his common sense could take hold, he made his decision. "Dr. Coffee, tell the pilot to fly near one of the skyscrapers. I think I can solve this situation."

"It's Dr. _Oobleck_! But I am admittedly curious about your plan. Pilot, go ahead and try to fly close to one. We'll keep any Nevermores off your tail."

 _Plan, huh? No, I think it's just shame. Shame that I'm the one who's metaphorically pissing my pants when I'm one of the strongest here. Looking down, it just looks like there's maybe four or five thousand Grimm down there. Compared to Fishman Island, this is nothing! Although Grimm might stronger than Fishmen goons, though it would be hard to test out._

"Alright, we're next to a skyscraper. There are several Nevermores approaching, so what is your plan?" Dr. Oobleck asked.

Usopp jumped out of the Bullhead, a seed already loaded into his slingshot.

Everyone else gasped and widened their eyes.

 _Luffy, I'd usually leave stupid stuff like this to you, but I guess I'll have to pull the slack. In some sick turn of events, I made friends weaker than myself, so protecting them like this is basically a duty. But it's still scary!_

Usopp fired a seed into the skyscraper wall, and a Bamboo Javelin shot out perpendicular to it. He grabbed on before he could fall for too long, and then he pulled himself up so he was straddling the bamboo spike.

Several Nevermores that were tailing the Bullhead turned their attention to the primary source of negativity, and many Grimm that were on the ground started climbing up.

* * *

"I see, so it was Usopp that was attracting all of them," Dr. Oobleck said.

"How can you be so calm?! Usopp might get killed!" Blake yelled.

"We _cannot_ despair, not now. Have more faith in him, you should know just how capable he is."

"Then are we just going to do nothing?" Weiss asked.

Dr. Oobleck shook his head and took our his own weapon. "I never said that. Right now, we are practically invisible compared to Usopp in terms of negativity. The Nevermores are completely ignoring us, so we need to take this opportunity Usopp gave us to land at the edge of the swarm and attack the flank. Be prepared, this won't be an easy task. Anyone who is not resolved should say so now."

"There's no way we'll just leave Usopp behind like that. He's out there risking his life, so the least we can do is risk ours as well," Ruby said.

"Yeah! I'm not going to let him have all of the fun!" Yang said.

"For once, at least, Ruby is right. We can't just back down now," Weiss said.

"We can't abandon our teammate," Blake said,

"It seems that you've made up your minds," Dr. Oobleck said, "Prepare yourselves."

* * *

Three Nevermores flew straight at Usopp from three different angles.

 _These ones don't seem as smart as the one I fought during Initiation… Or maybe it's because they haven't seen me fight yet. Whatever it is, they got too close._

Usopp fired three shuriken seeds as they themselves started to prepare a barrage of feathers, but the Nevermores were too late. The Platanus Shuriken completely bisected the birds, and the halves fell to the ground, crushing some Grimm before dissolving.

The climbing Grimm seemed to pause at the spectacle.

"What are you waiting for?! If you want negativity, then I have it in spades! So come here, you runt of the litter Grimm!"

An Ice Dust round exploding and freezing several Beowolves got the swarm moving once again.


	12. Usopp vs 4,000 Grimm

For about three minutes, Usopp legitimately believed that he had a chance to win. From atop his bamboo spike sticking out from the side of the skyscraper, he could fire perfectly at Grimm climbing upwards to attack. And with his back to a wall, a surprise attack from behind could not happen. The Nevermores were smaller and dumber than what he fought before and were easy targets. And while the Beowolves could climb fast, dozens of them could be killed by a single Platanus Shuriken. The stragglers could all be picked off with Dust rounds.

It was a plan with absolutely no flaws.

However, his soul practically left his body when the bamboo spike he was sitting on started falling, not being embedded deep enough into the wall to provide proper long term support.

Maybe there was one flaw.

"I'M SO DEAD! I REGRET EVERYTHING!" Usopp screamed with tears shooting out of his eyes.

His scream fell upon deaf ears.

The Grimm eagerly awaited Usopp's fall.

* * *

While several thousand Grimm sounds like a huge amount, when they're all clumped together to take Usopp's life, the area they took up was smaller than one would think. Dr. Oobleck and Team RWBY didn't have to fly long to get to a safe spot to be dropped off at.

Ruby set down her backpack, and Oobleck would have commented on bringing such a thing if the current circumstances didn't apply.

"They still seem to be distracted, even the ones that are looking at us. Let's not waste any time!" Dr. Oobleck said.

Ruby shot forward, spinning her scythe around and bisecting and shooting dozens of Beowolves. Nearby Grimm started to notice the threat and started running towards them.

The group tore through swarms of Beowolves with little opposition. A lot of members of Team RWBY would have loved to gawk at how their history teacher was kicking ass and effortlessly slaying swaths of Grimm, but the circumstances did not allow for that. If they diverted their attention too much, they would be overwhelmed.

However, even with all of their fighting, they hardly could advance at all. Grimm that were close to the commotion started swarming the group, and so instead of getting closer to Usopp, the massive swarm simply separated into two. Although admittedly the swarm attacking Oobleck and Team RWBY was only a few hundred in size compared to the thousands swarming Usopp.

"Don't let up! Take them down so we can reach Usopp!" Ruby yelled to her team.

"Of course!"

* * *

 _Wait, this fall is kind of like what happened during Initiation! So I can deal with this!_

He readied a trampolia seed, but the density of Grimm was thick enough that there wasn't enough room for him to fire the seed into the ground.

 _I need to clear them out first… but if I clear them out too soon, then more Grimm will just take their place. And if I fire too late… well, I'll hit the concrete and die._

It took all of his nerves, but he waited to fire until he was close to the ground. "Green Star: Skull Bombgrass!"

A clearing of Beowolves were torn apart by the massive skull shaped explosion, and Usopp's own momentum was slowed somewhat from the shockwave. As soon as the shockwave dissipated, Usopp fired a trampolia seed into the smoke. What he wasn't expecting was to keep falling even after he passed where the ground was. He saw train tracks for a moment before he hit the trampolia bubble at an angle. While he did bounce, the angle he hit it at made him bounce into the ceiling of the tunnel, dispelling all of his Aura and breaking several bones.

After a few moments, he fell and hit his head on the metal train tracks.

 _Gah… what… what happened? I thought I accounted for my forward momentum when aiming, but how could I know that the ground would be further away than expected?_

Usopp heard other things falling into the hole, probably Grimm, but it was hard for him to see straight. His head was spinning, and blood from his forehead was dripping into one of his eyes.

He could just barely make out the glowing eyes approaching his downed form.

 _Those… damn it… they're Grimm…_

He got to a sitting position and looked around. From what he could see, the only Grimm were coming from the hole that he made, which made things easier.

 _Green Star: Skull Bombgrass!_

Grimm that were entering the tunnel were blasted apart, and even Usopp was flown back a bit from his own attack, but that gave him more time to get up and reorient himself. Light shone from outside for a moment before even more Grimm started to swarm in and block it out.

"Uh, pardon me Grimm but can I take a little break? I'm not feeling gre-whoa!"

A Beowolf lunged forward, but Usopp slammed it with an extended Black Kabuto, killing it.

"Fine dammit! In that case… goodbye!"

Usopp started running along the tracks with the swarm of Grimm following behind.

 _Alright, my Aura is completely gone so one mistake fighting and I could die… just like normal. But this tunnel sure is convenient, I can line them up to get taken out in large numbers at once. But running with broken bones hurts so bad!_

The pain was starting to annoy Usopp.

 _This… this has to be long enough, right? It's getting dark too… running to far into this tunnel might not have been the best idea, but there's only one place they can come from anyways so it will be fine._

Usopp fired several Platanus Shurikens into the swarm which each took out large columns of approaching Grimm. He then fired off several hundred Bamboo Javelin seeds that created a wall of hard bamboo in the relatively narrow tunnel.

 _Time for a breather… I'm not sure how long it will take for them to break through that, but I should at least figure out if I want to continue fighting here, or go back to the surface where Team RWBY and Dr. Coffee will know where to find and back me up. Well, if I stay here they won't be able to surround-_

The hairs on his neck stood up, and he saw a large Beowolf jump at him from the ceiling. He fired a dust round at it with no effect, and the Beowolf clawed his chest.

"AGH!"

 _That's an Alpha… did it climb to the ceiling to avoid my shuriken?_

Usopp was immediately on the move, and it turned out that there were _five_ Alpha Beowolves that had survived, and they tried to surround Usopp with no avail. He sprinted out of their circle and fired Platanus Shuriken at all of them.

They all jumped out of the way.

 _If I can't hit them with the shuriken, then the Impact Wolf is out of the question. And besides, it takes a long time for those powerful seeds to grow anyways, so it's better to conserve them for times where they are guaranteed to hit. And a Skull Bombgrass explosion would create another hole to the surface, which would let even more Grimm in. In that case…_

"I wonder if you can overpower these!"

Usopp fired five seeds into the ground in front of the Alphas, which grew into the large, carnivorous Devil plants. They managed to surprise and bite the Alphas. Now, that they were still, Usopp prepared to finish them off before he heard cracking from above. Quickly moving out of the way, he barely avoided getting crushed by a massive elephant-like Grimm that had seemingly forced its way to him. Said Grimm slammed Usopp with its trunk, sending him into his own bamboo wall.

 _Dammit, I didn't see any Goliaths in the swarm earlier, did it make its way here while I was under ground?_

Although, what was more concerning was that a new hole was opened up, which let in more Grimm. Usopp even saw that the intruding Goliath was part of a herd that followed it.

The Alphas were still struggling to free themselves from the Devils, and Usopp could hear his bamboo wall start to break a little. Usopp cursed.

First of all, Usopp fired more Devil's to completely overwhelm and destroy the Alpha Beowolves, since their agility would made them troublesome for the sniper. After he did that, the horde of Grimm was practically next to him, and some Grimm were getting through the Bamboo wall making him have no place to run. He fired Bamboo seeds in a circle around him, which would only be a temporary measure of protection, but it might be enough.

 _Grimm might be dumb a lot of the time, but they can learn and recognize threats. Which means, if a super strong Grimm dies, the weaker ones might hesitate. But I will die if I can't actually kill a Goliath…_

Grimm were trying to claw through the Bamboo bars protecting him, and the Goliath that sent him flying earlier was charging the makeshift barrier.

"Green Star: Impact Wolf!"

The seed slipped through the bars, growing into a large wolf-like plant right before delivering a devastating shockwave to the Goliath's head, which destroyed it completely. The headless Grimm limply collapsed, shaking the ground before dissolving into smoke. The other Grimm, and even the Goliaths that were about to follow their fellow Grimm into the hole, all stood back.

Pushing down a damaged bamboo spike, he exited his protective cage, and the smaller Grimm backed off. Deep breaths hurt too much, so he spent some time taking shallow breaths and trying to make the most of the small amount of time that he bought.

 _Now, I should move to the surface. It seems that being down here can just lead to all sorts of unexpected attacks. That new hole will let me get back up._

Usopp charged forward to where the hole was, and the Grimm seemed to finally get out of their shock. The young and reckless charged forward, and Usopp fired off a barrage of fire, lighting, ice, and earth dust shots as he was running. The few that got close were rewarded with broken skulls and clobbered guts courtesy of Usopp's enlarged Black Kabuto.

Each claw or jaw that scratched, grazed, or barely missed made Usopp's heart leap out, but he pushed forward and made it to the massive opening caused by the Goliath.

"Green Star: Trampolia!"

The bubble-like plant grew just in time, as many Grimm tried to use that opportunity to claw Usopp's throat. They only managed to claw Usopp's feet and take a boot with them as Usopp used the plant to propel himself out of the hole, and he landed on the street.

"Ow ow ow, that was all way too close! I nearly died a few dozen times!"

Usopp felt the ground shaking behind him, so he preemptively leapt out of the way before a massive tusk almost gored him.

"Dammit, take this you slow behemoth! Green Star: Impact Wolf!"

Just like the previous one, this Goliath's head burst from the powerful shockwave. After seeing two of their herd get taken out so quickly, the remaining five started to run away, crushing smaller Grimm underneath their feet.

 _Even after all of this fighting, there are still so many! Like several thousand! This is impossible, I'll be overwhelmed! I'm already injured, everything hurts so much that I want to lie down and let someone else handle this. But there isn't someone else who can. Ruby would try, but she would definitely die. Ah, who am I kidding, I'm an injured wreck who's on death's door so I can't really say that I'm not going to die._

 _I want to close my eyes and wake up somewhere safe._

Usopp closed his eyes, and a lone Beowolf from the swarm charged forward.

"I want to wake up on the Sunny."

The monster was a few yards away from Usopp before it was impaled by a spike of bamboo. Usopp's eyes were open wide.

"So I'll have to fight and survive if I ever want to sail with my friends again!"

Time and time again Usopp rolled, dodged, shot, and bashed, escaping death and killing Grimm continuously.

At every step of the last stretch, Usopp felt he was going to die.

And at every step, he spat in the face of those thoughts and lived.

His life flashed before his eyes countless times, every small moment feeling like an eternity with the afterlife well in sight.

Usopp would never be able to tell how much time actually passed, but eventually the swarm dwindled in numbers and density before being completely annihilated. When there were no Grimm in sight, Usopp let himself fall to the ground. His legs felt like jelly, both from his injuries and the fear that was still coursing through his body. The rest of his body wasn't faring much better.

 _I… won? Barely didn't run out of Dust and Pop Greens, good thing I brought extra. I think I'm all out of Bamboo Javelin and Platanus Shuriken seeds, I'll have to restock when I get back to my dorm room. And, I think I'm missing a tooth. I'll have to drink some milk later. I should… I should get up and help Team RWBY now, but I can't. Sorry, I hope you all can handle the Grimm that went towards you._

* * *

"Come on everyone, we're in the last stretch!" Ruby yelled.

Their group has taken out 350 Grimm, composed of mostly Beowolves and Ursai and the occasional Deathstalker. Of the swarm of Grimm that branched off from the ones swarming Usopp, there were only 46 or so left. All of them were Beowolves, although a particularly large one towered over the others, simply observing.

All of them were breathing heavily from the extended fighting, and even though there was only a small number of Grimm left, they were also starting to tire.

Ruby heard soft footsteps and she glanced behind her to see Zwei trotting his way towards her.

"Zwei! No, stay in the backpack, now's not the time!"

Dr. Ooobleck turned towards the corgi, an idea forming in his head. After destroying a few more charging Grimm, he walked back to the dog. The two looked each other in the eyes, and Dr. Oobleck hit him like a baseball. The corgi, now one fire, took out a line of Beowolves before completely obliterating the Alpha in the back.

Ruby's eyes widened. "Whoa..."

With their Alpha eliminated, the remaining Grimm were relatively simple to take down. A few minutes later, the last Grimm dematerialized with its body torn in two.

"Alright, now to Usopp!" Ruby said.

"Wait," Dr. Oobleck ordered, hearing stomping sounds from the distance. Moments later, a line of Goliaths turned the corner in a full sprint. "Move to the side! You four will only be able to do little more than anger a Grimm of that size!"

The five and Zwei all hid in nearby buildings and the Goliaths simply charged past, ignoring their presences.

"It almost seemed like they were running away from something," Weiss said.

"Of course," Yang said, "I'm sure Usopp kicked butt and made them freak out."

"It's not out of the question," Dr. Oobleck said, "Grimm of that size have often learned that killing humans only invites more to hunt them down. Their survival instincts are stronger than most Grimm. The fact that they even came here in the first place is surprising. Usopp's negativity must have been quite an lure, but enough with that. We must find Usopp immediately. If strong Grimm like those Goliaths showed up, then he might not have gotten out of this unscathed."

"Right," Ruby said, "Let's go!"

Usopp was nowhere to be found at the building where he was dropped off at, but the Grimm seemed to be gone too. They could see burns and ice spikes that showed that Usopp did fight in this area, and plants that could be identified as Pop Greens were also scattered about. From stray plantlike shurikens to random bamboo spikes, it was clear that many Grimm had met their end at this very place.

In the street next to the building, they noticed the massive hole that led to the underground train tracks. Dr. Oobleck had an internal revelation, but he would wait to say anything until after they could confirm Usopp's safety… or death.

They all jumped down to the tracks. They noticed Usopp's Trampolia plant, but they also saw blood on the tracks.

"He might have fallen down here," Dr. Oobleck said, "Let's go."

They split up, with Yang and Blake going one direction while the rest ran the opposite direction. Although, once Ruby, Weiss, and Dr. Oobleck encountered the broken wall of bamboo, they called the others with a scroll and waited for them to catch up.

Beyond the splintered bamboo was another hole, and another trampolia plant. They also found Usopp's boot, which was bloddy. Ruby picked it up, but they all used Usopp's trampolia to return to the surface.

It was there that they saw Usopp's battered form lying on the street. It's not like he was lying in a pool of his own blood or anything, but his body was stained red in many places. Grimm don't bleed, so it had to be his. His nose was surprisingly intact though.

"Usopp!" Ruby called out.

"R-Ruby..." Usopp said weakly.

"That was quite reckless, Usopp!" Weiss yelled.

Usopp sat up, looking down at the street. "Yeah, but the mission would have been cancelled if I didn't do that though, right? And the whole reason there were so many Grimm here was because of me."

"So you felt responsible," Blake said solemnly.

"Yeah, but I regret ever feeling that way now! Do you know how scary fighting all of those Grimm was?! I lost count of how many times my life flashed before my eyes! I'm surprised I'm even talking to you all now!"

"Did you really almost die that many times, or were you just underestimating yourself? As you are alive now and the Grimm are not," Yang pointed out.

"Well… I _felt_ like I was going to die, but it might not have been justified every time."

Weiss huffed. "What were you even thinking, just jumping out like that?! And trying to act as bait?! Who gave you permission to-"

Ruby elbowed her. When Weiss met her eyes, Ruby whispered something.

"Fine," she whispered back.

"Anyways," Ruby said, "Usopp?"

"Yeah?"

Ruby's expression was soft as she gave Usopp a smile. "Thank you for doing what you did."

"Wha-"

"I'm sure it was painful and scary and there were at least a few moments where you actually could have died, but you persevered and didn't run away. I'm just sorry that we couldn't help you out more than what we did. Now that it's over, all I can do is thank you and promise that this mission will be worth it."

"It's… well..." Usopp looked to the side, "Just don't get your hopes up and expect me to do something like that again."

 _You were so determined to reunite with your friends, but you still risked your life like this. Not to mention that this Torchwick problem isn't even your world's issue. Give yourself some more credit, Usopp._

"I hate to interrupt, but can you stand, Usopp?" Dr. Oobleck asked.

"Yup, I was laying down because I wanted some rest."

"Good. After seeing the underground train tracks, I think I have a good idea of where the enemy hideout might be. And I'd like you to use your ability to confirm it."


	13. Train Stop

"Underground, huh?"

"Yes. While we admittedly have had no time to properly scout even the surface for this city yet, seeing the underground train tracks reminded me of the massive caves and the elaborate subway system underneath this city. While they still could be on the surface, I find it much more likely that they would hide underground. And so, Usopp, are you still up for scouting after that huge battle?"

"Of course! That's why I fought in the first place, so we could do this mission!"

"Then let's not waste any time."

* * *

Roman Torchwick overlooked the loading of the train. At the rate they were going, he figured they would be ready within the next few days.

"Um, Sir?"

Torchwick looked at the White Fang guard that had bothered him. "What is it?"

"Our scouts have reported that the massive amount of Grimm that suddenly entered the city has practically vanished."

"Vanished? What the hell happened to them? Didn't they come here because of the negative feelings _we_ have?"

"They seemed to be attracted to something else, as they didn't even try to break in here."

"If they just went somewhere else, then it's nothing to be concerned about. Don't waste my time."

"But, whatever they were drawn to had to have been relatively close, and there isn't a sign of any Grimm at all now despite thousands passing through. There's no confirmation, but I think there might be an army coming."

" _My_ job is to think, not yours. How the hell would an army get here under our noses without anyone noticing? Regardless though, being cautious will turn out better than recklessly believing that we're safe."

He turned away and raised his voice. "Finish loading what you're carrying and then start the train!"

* * *

"So, what motivated you to choose this profession, Usopp?" Dr. Oobleck asked.

"Huh? Is now really the time?"

The group of six were following the train tracks underground to the area where Usopp could sense people, including Roman Torchwick. They were carrying torches for light.

"It will still be some time before we reach the base, so why not?"

"Alright. I've always wanted to be brave, and so I figured that I could become brave by becoming a Huntsman."

"Are you not already brave? You took a great risk to your life very recently, and I don't think someone who wasn't brave would have done that."

"I want to be someone who's brave enough to do stunts like that without hesitation. I don't want my legs to shake every time I think I'm in danger. And even if I risk my life now, it doesn't mean that I'll have the determination to do it again under different circumstances. I can't just call myself a brave warrior just because I've been in danger a few times."

"And you think that this career will help you become that brave?"

"Well… it will help."

"Interesting."

On their way, Dr. Oobleck seemed to similarly interrogate everyone else besides Ruby. A little while after the last interrogation, Usopp held his hand up.

"There seems to be people approaching us very fast. And it looks like they're floating, so I guess they're in some sort of vehicle?"

"Like a train?" Ruby asked.

"But these tracks only lead to a dead end," Dr. Oobleck said.

"They're certainly heading straight here though at an alarming speed. Torchwick is up front. I don't think they'll get here for another minute or so, what are we going to do?"

"Ooh, I have an idea!" Ruby said, "Do you have any trampolia seeds left?"

"Yeah, I don't use them too much so I usually have plenty of them."

"Good, I was thinking that we could stop the train using a wall made from Rock Dust as well as an array of those trampolia things planted on the wall so the train would get pushed back."

"I think the trampolia's bubble would burst if it took the impact of a train head on."

"But it would absorb most of the momentum. Then, when the train is stopped, we get on and capture everybody! If they just use their brakes to avoid the crash, then it's basically the same result. Any objections?"

No one gave any, so they made their preparations just in time to see the headlight of the train. Everyone kept a fair distance away from the wall, and no one was on the tracks at all in case the train just plowed through the trampolias and the rock wall.

The train showed no signs of braking, which was strange as they surely must have noticed the wall in front of them. Regardless, the train crashed and stopped, destroying trampolias and cracking the wall in the process. The train was completely derailed and mostly wrecked.

"It worked! Now lets-"

Ruby was interrupted as back cars of the train exploded. The front car was blasted forward, forcibly detached from the rest of the train and rolling on its side, and a massive hole was opened up to the surface.

Everyone stood shocked for a moment, before Dr. Oobleck turned to Usopp. "Any survivors?"

"Oh, ah… well Torchwick is still alive in the front car, but he isn't moving. And there's another, a girl, but she seems to have escaped to the surface already. She's running away pretty fast."

 _Last time that girl showed up to save Torchwick, but now she's saving her own skin? Well I guess she did just barely escape a horrific explosion, so maybe she's too rattled to think about Torchwick._

"I see. We should secure Torchwick for now, and then we should investigate the rest of the base. After that, we'll go home."

* * *

By the time everything was properly investigated, night had fallen. Dr. Oobleck decided to set up camp to rest for the night. He called in a Bullhead that was scheduled to pick them up in the morning. With everything that had happened in that short amount of time, no one wanted to endure a long Bullhead ride without some rest. Torchwick was bound, still unconscious, and they naturally took shifts to both watch over him and watch out for any Grimm that might still be in the area.

Ruby took the first shift, while Weiss, Yang, and Blake talked about Dr. Oobleck's interrogations. Usopp instantly fell asleep because of his injuries, so he wasn't a part of it, but they came to the conclusion that doing their job protecting the people came before any personal desires.

Morning came soon enough, and with it, a Bullhead to take them home.

* * *

"Apparently, considering his previous escape from the local jail, we'll be dropping him off directly to an Atlesian Airship for his imprisonment," Dr. Oobleck said.

"Good, he's been annoying for this entire ride," Usopp said.

"Glad to be of service, Long Nose," Torwick said.

"If you learned to shut up, I may have actually felt bad that your friend abandoned you."

Torchwick chuckled. "Oh, woe is me that you're not feeling pity. Truly, you've shown me the error of my ways."

"Don't let him get to you, Usopp. He can't do anything, and soon enough we'll never have to deal with him again," Ruby said.

"I sure hope so."

Soon enough, Vale and the Airships in its skies became visible. The last stretch felt like forever, but everyone felt relieved when they finally handed over an unapologetic Torchwick to the soldiers on the Airship.

General Ironwood himself came with an escort to both watch over the handling of Torchwick and greet the people who captured him.

"I have reviewed the full report that your teacher submitted to me, and I must say, congratulations are due. You've all done a great service in capturing this criminal again, and I assure you that it won't be necessary for a _third_ time. Also, while we are not sure what he was planning with that train full of explosives, it couldn't have been good. You did a great job stopping this potential tragedy."

"Thank you, General," Ruby said.

"No, we should thank all of you. Regardless, I'm sure you all want to rest more after this mission, so I won't hold you here any longer. Good luck in the Vytal Festival."

 _It seems there wasn't a need to send an army,_ Ironwood thought, _Ozpin's 'scouts' basically did the same thing._

* * *

"Well, we did it," Ruby said. Everyone was back at Beacon, stretching their limbs.

"We did it," Blake repeated.

"If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed," Weiss said.

"Well Usopp did most of the work," Yang said.

"Maybe, but I also caused most of the problems, so it evens out. I'm sure the same thing would have happened without me there," Usopp said.

"The only problem you caused was the massive amount of Grimm, you helped out with more than just that, like stopping the train and finding their base."

"Stopping the train was Ruby's plan, and Dr. Oobleck was the one who told me to check underground. I might have missed it on my own."

"Enough with all that," Ruby said, "We all accomplished something great and saved the day, don't try to undermine your own efforts."

"Fine fine, so _maybe_ I did something kind of cool, looking back. _Maybe_. I'm not sure if I'm lucky to be alive, or if my reactions are better than I think, but I survived and our enemies are defeated."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Someday I'll make you have a genuine, optimistic thought."

Usopp shuddered.

Regardless, their accomplishment left them in high spirits, with no small amount of pride and self confidence. Whether these feelings would last, however, remains to be seen.

* * *

In the coming days, Cinder was looking forward to the news of a tragedy involving the deaths of many civilians due to a Grimm 'Breach.' However, the unexpected news she received this morning was not particularly pleasing. Torchwick captured, and their whole plan involving a breach was foiled. The only good thing was that despite the tragedy not happening, Torchwick was still imprisoned in an airship, which was optimal for the future.

"Apparently those stupid kids managed to stop the train head on, and that caused it to explode all at once and far too early," Emerald said.

"No Faunus on the train managed to survive. Will the White Fang even listen to us anymore?" Mercury asked.

"No," Cinder said, "But they still respect Adam. The only one they respect more than Adam is their Leader, but he is far away. I would like to get him on our side, but that goes beyond the scope of this mission. Regardless though,"

Cinder smirked with one eye lit up.

"They may enjoy this small victory for now, but they are not prepared for what is to come."


	14. Beginning of the End

**A/N: I think I said this chapter would come out on the 15th of October... I took so long that Volume 7 came out. I feel bad that I can't give you an extra long chapter for the wait, but if I could write that much, this wouldn't be late in the first place. At least there are no signs of any pirates in Volume 7 so far, so I don't have to rewrite one of my chapters.**

"Welcome, everyone, be sure you pick up some Team RWBY or JNPR merch! They will surely be the stars of this event!" Usopp called out.

He managed to get permission to set up a tent where he could sell all of the merchandise he had spent many hours creating. From t-shirts to coffee mugs, the raw amount of goods he prepared had shocked the people who knew him.

Before the tournament started, the only people who bought anything he had to offer were classmates of Teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as the parents of some kid who thought that Team RWBY's 'pirate flag' looked cool. After RWBY's first victory though, the business that came to his makeshift shop increased dramatically. There was even a bit of a line, and Usopp figured that it would only increase once JNPR won their first match.

 _Making this much money legally is certainly a strange feeling. I just hope I'll be able to protect it better than I did in Water 7._

When the line disappeared, Team RWBY approached Usopp.

"Want to join us for a meal?" Ruby asked.

"I can't exactly lock down a tent while I take a lunch break. Congratulations on your first match by the way, I watched from a TV and you all did great."

"Thank you," Ruby said, "But are you sure you don't want to have a quick meal?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You should celebrate your victory, and even if I'm a reserve member, you all won that match without me. Besides, I don't want to miss out on any potential customers. Every Lien counts!"

They all laughed and then waved as they departed.

 _Compared to fighting Grimm and doing schoolwork, just selling things and watching other people fight is a breath of fresh air._

* * *

Later that day, when there was a lull in the amount of customers, Usopp had an unexpected visitor. "Greetings, Usopp. Do you have a moment?"

Usopp looked up to see General Ironwood standing outside of his tent. "Oh, ah Admir- er, General Ironwood, why did you come here? I didn't think you'd be interested in RWBY or JNPR merch."

"That is not why I am here. Rather, I'd like to ask if you'd like to work as a guard for the duration of the tournament. Of course, you would be allowed to bring your own weapons and tools."

"Is that… necessary? Why would I in particular be needed?"

"You do stand out amongst your peers. As for whether it is necessary, I believe the right question is ' _could_ it be necessary'. On the off chance that it _is_ , I would rather have someone in the audience who is prepared."

Usopp could agree with that sentiment. The Atlesian Airships patrolling the skies were formidable but not infallible. If something _did_ get past them, then his friends would be in danger, while he wouldn't be in a position to do anything about it.

"I'll do it. I'll just need some time to close up shop-"

"That won't be necessary. I will be buying your entire stock as payment for your services."

"My… _entire stock?_ Do you need help carrying everything?"

"Oh, no, I won't be bringing it with me. Rather now you can just leave it for others to take for free."

"I see… well let me just calculate the price real quick and then I'll get started immediately."

Usopp looked at the prices he set for each item, and he may have raised them a little before finishing his calculations. An extra couple Lien a piece adds up when your selling several thousand items at once.

* * *

While Usopp was allowed to watch the matches, he was tasked with patrolling and using his ability to check for familiar Auras that might have for whatever reason infiltrated the event.

During the first day, he could have sworn that Emerald was staring at him, but when he would check, she would look focused on the match. It made him a bit wary.

However, nothing of note besides the tournament fights happened for several days. The only thing that caught his notice somewhat was the pirate-like outfit that Scarlet wore into battle. It made him wonder if he was a fan of pirates, or if he just chose a look that matched his weapons of choice.

Yang's 1v1 match, however, turned out to be a disaster. His relationship with Mercury was neutral at best, but the extra punch at the end was so unnecessary that Usopp couldn't help but feel confused.

 _Atlesian_ robots surrounded Yang and aimed their weapons at her. Usopp, in turn aimed at the robots, having absolutely zero faith that they wouldn't be trigger happy.

 _Yang wouldn't do that for no reason. She likes fighting, not picking on the weak. Maybe she felt threatened? No, only_ I _would feel threatened by someone who's already defeated. But, if not that, what happened?_

The crowd's reaction was predictably extreme, although Yang just looked just as confused as Usopp felt.

 _I'll just have to ask her about it._

* * *

By the time reached Team RWBY's dorm room, he caught a suspicious old man who was just about to open the door to their room without knocking. "Stop that. Who are you, old man?"

"I'm not that old! What do you want? Just let me check in on my Niece!"

"Niece, huh? Sorry, but I'm not just going to fall for that so easily."

"Listen here, I'm a professional Huntsman. I'm not some thief snooping about to see if anyone left their rooms unlocked."

"You sure look professional. But even if you show me your license, and even if that isn't a fake, there's no guarantee that you haven't turned to shadier jobs. But more importantly, I can tell that your Aura feels more intense than the Aura of an average student. I don't know if that has anything to do with strength, but I don't feel like taking chances since one of my friends is in that room."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Ok kid, how about you just knock, and then Yang can tell you that you're just being paranoid."

"I'm not going to turn my back to-"

"Fine, then _I'll_ kno-"

"Then there will be nothing between you and Yang should you decide to kill her. I won't be able to stop you in time."

Qrow twitched. "I don't have time for this."

The two stared each other down before the door just opened itself. Yang looked tired, but there was a small smirk on her face. "I could hear you all, you know. Chill, Usopp, this drunk old man, for better or worse, is my Uncle."

"Hey!" Qrow retorted.

Usopp let out a sigh. "If you say so… but I'm still keeping an eye on him. He could have a memory altering Semblance or something."

"Right…"

"Well Yang, are you doing alright?" Usopp asked.

She shrugged. "I… don't know. Maybe?"

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Usopp asked.

"I saw Mercury attack me, so I attacked back."

"All I saw," Qrow said, "was that you attacked a helpless kid. So either you're lying or you're crazy."

"I'm not lying," Yang said.

"Crazy, got it," Qrow replied.

"I don't think those are the only options, considering superpowers seem to be a dime a dozen if you practice enough," Usopp said.

"You mean that you think it was someone's Semblance that made me hallucinate?" Yang asked.

"We already know that someone who has some sort of malicious intent can use illusions to some extent."

"If you're talking about the person who helped Torchwick escape jail, then those seem to act as physical copies that shatter. And it wouldn't only be visible to one person," Qrow said.

"I'm not talking about that person. I'm talking about the night of the Dance, where Ruby fought someone that I couldn't detect with my ability. I thought she might just have some ability to hide her Aura, but what I was actually under some sort of illusion? Or maybe Ruby was under an illusion."

"If an enemy does have that sort of power, that would be extremely troublesome even if they had nothing to do with this incident. It's certainly worth looking into, but we don't exactly have many leads right now," Qrow said.

"Yeah, but I don't think Yang is crazy, nor is she lying, so what else could it be?"

"I think Usopp's right, it's the first time I've ever hallucinated anything," Yang said.

"It's plausible enough."

"Well," Usopp said, "I'll be going back to the Colosseum now. Since it seems that you actually are Yang's uncle, I'll let you two be. See you later, Yang, and I'm sure everyone will change their minds when we catch whoever caused this."

"...Thanks."

* * *

On the way back to the Colosseum, he saw Ruby who in turn was chatting with Velvet.

"Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone," Velvet said.

"Coco?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently."

"Something seems strange about that," Usopp interjected.

Velvet took a picture of him.

"Oh, Usopp, how have you been doing?" Ruby asked.

"I was just checking in on Yang to make sure she's alright, and now I have to go back and do my job. But what I thought was strange was how I never have had any stress-induced hallucinations even though I'm always stressed in fights."

"Hmm..."

 _But knowing that it happened in Coco's fight too is good info._

* * *

After a rather short airship ride, Usopp and Ruby made it to the Amity Colosseum. Usopp helped her find an empty seat with his ability, but once they got there, Usopp had to go.

"I'll see you later, Usopp. Good luck with… patrolling," Ruby said.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. It's about time I did my job"

Ruby looked across the Colosseum and saw Emerald sitting across. She seemed to glare at them. "Emerald's… here?."

Usopp's jaw fell a little, and then he narrowed his eyes. "Now that you mention it, I see her. But I can't see her Aura for some reason."

"Something's wrong. Could you follow me?" Ruby asked.

"Of course."

 _Emerald is just getting too suspicious. Even Ruby believes something is up, so I'm not just overthinking things. But if it really is her, then that means that she might have even taken some of my Pop Greens without me even knowing! I should have known better than to let people into my room when Semblances are far more common than Devil Fruits… But if she really can have people hallucinate, then she might have just been able to take the ones I carry around from me. Or she could have entered no matter what I said. She could even-_

Usopp paused at the moment that he followed Ruby out of sight. Besides being able to sense Emerald's Aura now, he could also sense Mercury's Aura ahead of them. "Mercury is here too."

"What?"

Mercury walked into the same tunnel at that moment, confirming Usopp's words.

"Mercury? What are you doing?"

Mercury stayed silent, although when Port and Dr. Oobleck announced who the next competitors would be, Ruby looked pale. Usopp wasn't sure why the competitor's names made her pale, but her being pale in the first place was concerning enough.

"Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad," Mercury said.

Ruby glared at him.

"Metal? What does he mean, Ruby?"

"It's.. not my secret to tell. Just know that Penny could be in danger!" She reached for Crescent Rose only to find that she didn't have it with her.

"Understood, just let me deal with him then. I can fight just fine!"

"As I'd let either you get through!"

Said words aged like fine milk as he was blocked off by a wall of bamboo that gave Ruby the cover needed to escape. He kicked through the bamboo, but it was already too late by then. "Dammit."

"Don't even think of pursuing her, or you will face instant death. Poison landmine Pop Greens have been placed throughout this area, so there is no escape."

Mercury laughed. "Nice try, but you don't have a Pop Green like that."

Usopp held his hands up. "Then why don't you try?"

Mercury grunted, but he did not hesitate to chase after Ruby despite Usopp's warnings. After a single step though, dozens of Humandrakes sprouted from the floor, walls, and ceiling to pile on and restrain Mercury. He tried kicking some away, but it was rather futile.

"Little shits!"

"You're right, it's not poison, but it's good enough. Since it seems like you and Emerald stole my Pop Greens, I figured you'd at least know about those. Did you forget? Or maybe you dismissed them as not a threat?"

* * *

Emerald silently cursed when she saw Ruby reached the entrance to the fighting area. _Dammit, what are you doing Mercury? Handling two is such a pain._

She made Ruby see Penny get sliced to shreds, causing her to fall to her knees.

 _Ugh… time to pick up the pace on this fight._

* * *

Mercury laughed. "You think that we don't have a Plan B? You should have gone with your friend instead of worrying about me. I wonder if sending her alone with no weapon was really that smart..."

Usopp grimaced.

"Or maybe, you know, that brat will be drawn into the crossfire due to being under an illusion..."

"You bastard!"

"What? I'm just giving sound advice."

Usopp kicked him in the gut, but then ran in the direction that Ruby went. He knew that Mercury might be able to escape while he's gone, but his mind was running wild on what might happen to Ruby. From what he could sense, Ruby seemed alive, but it was very hard to even trust his own ability at this point.

He arrived to see Ruby on her knees, crying. But Pyrrha and Penny were still fighting.

There might have even been a chance to save Penny, if she wasn't torn to pieces only moments later.


	15. End of the Beginning

Perhaps the fact that Penny was indeed a robot would have been surprising under normal circumstances, but that was put to the back of Usopp's mind. That surprise was nothing compared to seeing her die in front of his eyes. There was nothing he could do except grit his teeth in frustration.

 _The dead don't come back. But since Penny was a robot, then maybe… No, she had a soul like anyone else. It would be more accurate to compare her to Franky than a robot, so I don't think she can be rebuilt._

Cinder's voice echoed throughout the Colosseum. "This is not a tragedy."

"Shut the hell up!" Usopp shouted.

"This was not an accident."

 _Cinder... was all of this_ your _plan?_

"This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your _children_ , to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than _men_."

Cinder's monologue made Usopp seethe, but he opted to ignore her running her mouth and focus on the real problems. Ruby was still a mess emotionally, and seeing her down made him realize that she and Penny were much closer than Usopp had imagined. Ruby even seemed to know that she was a robot before anyone else, so they must have interacted more at some point.

 _First Ace, and now Penny... No, dammit Usopp, try to think of something positive for once! Like... Is Penny's Aura really gone?_

He didn't want to check, but he had to. For Ruby's sake at least. He breathed steadily for a few moments to calm himself before activating his ability once more.

He could sense that Mercury had freed himself from the Humandrakes and was currently hightailing it out of the place. Emerald was doing the same. A part of him desperately wanted to pursue them and give them what they deserve, but he couldn't just leave Ruby like this.

Many different Auras were moving around, but he focused on the arena where Penny's remains lay. It was faint, but there was a part of her that still had her unique Aura. Usopp didn't know if that was normal for a dying person or not, but he didn't care. What he saw was a chance.

"R-ruby," he choked out, "There m-might still be a chance for… for P-Penny."

"Usopp... She... she had a soul-"

"I know... But I can still see her Aura in a certain part of her. It's not completely gone."

"Really? Then-then you may be right!"

"...I sure hope so, but we should ask Ironwood about it."

Usopp squashed the thoughts that told him his hopes would only make the truth hurt more. _The 'truth' won't hurt if it's not the truth, dammit!_

Alarms suddenly started blaring off, and Usopp could see a Giant Nevermore poking at the shields above. Pyrrha was notably shell shocked at what she's done, and was hardly noticing the situation at all.

"I don't know what will happen if Penny's body is destroyed further, so we'll need to protect it, Ruby."

"Can you cover for me and everyone else long enough for our weapons to arrive?"

"I'll try."

The rest of Team JNPR jumped into the arena as the forcefield was broken. The overgrown bird monster descended to attack Pyrrha, but all it got for its efforts was a Skull Bombgrass explosion destroying it from within. The pieces dissolved before they even hit the ground.

"Usopp?"

"Don't worry, Pyrrha, there still may be a way to save Penny yet."

"What?"

A swarm of Griffons swooped in, with numbers that made Usopp frown. There were enough that some might get close enough to harm his friends while they were mostly weaponless.

"Usopp sensed some of Penny's Aura still in a part of her," Ruby explained in Usopp's stead, "So as long as that part isn't destroyed, there might be a way to rebuild her."

"Wait, really?" Jaune asked.

"If even Usopp believes there is a chance, then the odds are good," Ren said.

"What's that supposed to... gah," Usopp grumbled before putting his focus back to the incoming Griffons. Usopp had some trouble taking out the annoying pests at every angle that they swarmed at. Pyrrha, her weapon now transformed into a rifle, tried to lighten the load, but inevitably a Griffon managed to slip past them both. Diving down, it brought its vile claws to bear against the weaponless students, but its moment of success was short lived.

A rocket locker slammed straight into the unsuspecting Grimm and dissolved it instantly. Usopp couldn't help but grin. That Griffon wasn't the only unfortunate Grimm, as more were taken out by swarm of lockers that flew in. With the students armed, Usopp's could finally take a break.

Not even a minute later, Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck arrived at the scene, urging them to leave.

"But we have to protect this part of Penny that might let her be rebuilt," Usopp protested.

"I will be sure to protect it in your place, Usopp. But I'd rather that my students live to tell about this day. And I have a feeling that your particular talents will be more needed elsewhere."

Usopp looked at Ruby, who nodded.

"We'll leave this with you two then," Ruby said, "Let's go!"

* * *

Soon enough, the students managed to meet up with Ironwood, who had just finished up disposing of an Alpha Beowolf.

"What's going on!?" Ruby asked the General.

"Grimm are crawling all over the city. The White Fang's invaded Beacon, and to make matters worse, some... vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the skies are out of our control. So I'm going to take it back."

"What should we do?" Jaune asked.

"You have two choices. Defend your Kingdom and your school... or save yourselves. No one will fault you if you leave."

 _I'm surprised he even gave me a choice, considering I was hired as a guard. Maybe it's because the situation is that bad? Regardless though, as much as I'd like to take him up on his offer, I know my weaker friends won't hesitate to fight. And it's not like there's anything I can't handle there, so I'll be fine._

As Ironwood was about to leave, Ruby asked him about one more thing. "Um... About Penny..."

"...We should be able to restore her, as long as we can recover her core. But for now, focus on the issues in front of us."

"Yes sir!" Ruby said with a large smile on her face. Pyrrha and everyone else's mood brightened too.

Ruby hi-fived Usopp. "You were right!"

"I can't believe it... er I mean of course I was right! Ha ha ha!"

Despite the ensuing catastrophe, the mood lightened before they all agreed to stay and fight.

* * *

If Usopp could take a single positive note from the chaotic ground battle against all shapes and sizes of soulless and murderous monsters, it was that the fighting was easier with people watching his back. Despite a seemingly never ending tide of Grimm assaulting the makeshift team of students, they have mostly managed to avoid injury by having Usopp cleanly eliminate any large Grimm. Such threats were called out ahead of time so he could move into the proper position to deal with them.

When Usopp wasn't killing unfairly tough Grimm, he was barraging lesser ones with varied Dust rounds and setting up defenses with Pop Greens. Bamboo walls and ravenous Devils did little to stop a charging Goliath, but they slowed down the rest enough so they weren't overwhelmed despite their relatively small numbers.

Ruby was notably absent from the fighting, as she had departed the dropship that had transported the students to the ground before it landed. Usopp at the very least was able to confirm she was alive with his ability while he was on the dropship, but ever since the fighting started he never got the chance to focus.

Usopp almost fell as the very earth he stood on began to shake. _What was that?_

"Goliath coming, Usopp!"

"Right!" he said, preparing an Impact Wolf for the occasion. _I don't think this Goliath caused the shaking_.

Its head bursting from the powerful shockwave of Usopp's attack, the Goliath fell to the ground and dissolved into nothing. Immediately afterwards, another tremor threatened to throw off Usopp's and everyone else's balance.

 _What is that?_

He and the rest continued fighting for a few minutes before they saw it. In the skies, passing by several Atlesian Airships, was by far the largest Grimm Usopp had ever seen.

Flying upon leathery wings, the dragon-like Grimm intimidated all who looked upon it. The worst part was that as soon as Usopp registered what he was looking at, the Wyvern's head snapped to Usopp's direction, drawn to the growing negativity.

"Can… can you even kill that, Usopp?" Sun asked.

"I-" Before he could answer, the Wyvern breathed a torrent of fire at the formation of students.

"SCATTER EVERYONE!"

A white hot stream of fire created a steaming crater of scorched earth. While everyone managed to leap out of harm's way, their formation was broken and the fighting dissolved into chaos.

 _Dammit, that dragon is too dangerous. I can't just ignore it and hope someone else deals with it. As tempting as that would be..._

Cursing his luck at having to fight the intimidatingly powerful creature, he prepared himself to get it's attention. He would then move to an area where he could fight it without worrying about the other students getting hurt from collateral damage.

Crushing a Beowolf skull with Black Kabuto, he fired his shot. "Green Star: Skull Bombgrass!"

The powerful Pop Green went straight down the monster's throat and then exploded. The Wyvern's exposed ribs cracked, and a skull like cloud escaped from its mouth. It let loose an unholy screech before sending another blast of fiery death in Usopp's direction.

For better or worse, he got the Wyvern's attention.

* * *

Mercury couldn't help but smirk while watching Usopp lead the Wyvern away. "That should be interesting."

"Be sure to get that," Cinder said.

"Oh, I'll look forward to it."

* * *

After running for eight city blocks, Usopp took a deep breath and faced the approaching Wyvern. Loading three more Skull Bombgrass seeds, he silently hoped for another easy victory.

Unfortunately, the Wyvern learned its lesson about what Usopp's seeds could do, and it repelled the explosives with a forceful flap of its wings. They all scattered in random directions, destroying buildings and creating craters. The Wyvern responded by breathing more fire, making sure to stay in the air and stay mobile. While easy enough for Usopp to avoid, he'd be lying if he said his heart didn't jump every time the fire was directed at him.

There was also the problem that the creature was leaking a black, tar-like substance that spawned weak Grimm. While not much of a challenge, they did divert his focus.

 _Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Something more aerodynamic is needed then, and grounding it is a must if I want to hit it with an Impact Wolf._

Grabbing a solid handful of Platanus Shuriken seeds, he prepared to fire a massive barrage. If he was lucky, the shurikens would cut up the Wyvern's wings and create holes much larger than the ones that already existed on its wings.

He squeezed Black Kabuto, making it grow in size to both increase its power and allow him to fire the amount of seeds that he was planning.

"Platanus Shuriken Storm!"

The Wyvern surprised Usopp by tucking its wings close to its body, dodging many of the projectiles and protecting its wings. The shurikens that hit its main body only made superficial cuts. It fell for a moment before it unleashed its wings again, halting its decent.

Naturally, all Usopp got for his effort was another blast of fire and a wave of fresh, tar-produced Grimm. Usopp kept on the move, taking down the weaker Grimm and not taking his eyes off the Wyvern, but at this point he realized he would have to get creative.

 _Ok Usopp, think, how do you defeat a dragon? Maybe mix Bombgrass and Shuriken seeds so if it tucks in its wings, it takes explosions to the face, and if it tries to repel them with wind, the shurikens hopefully have enough momentum to tear the wings? No, even though it didn't happen last time, it's possible that the Skull Bombgrass could hit me if it chooses to repel everything. Alright then, maybe play dead like with the Giant Nevermore in Initiation? No, that was fine when I was fighting by myself, but here there is the risk that the dragon just goes after someone else instead of getting close to me. Maybe… oh yeah!_

In truth, a fair bit of time back, he helped Zoro fight a dragon on Punk Hazard. To help get Zoro close to the flying creature, he used his Trampolia for him to jump on. Maybe he could try something similar, except it would be him jumping super high into the air.

 _It'd be scary, but it's worth a shot. It's better than my other ideas._

Letting Black Kabuto shrink back to an easily portable size, he put an Impact Wolf seed into his pocket. He carefully watched the Wyvern's flight speed and path so he'd know exactly where to jump. After dealing with the latest wave of Grimm, he found the right spot and fired his Trampolia seed. Usopp jumped on it and had his legs push with all their might, shooting upward only moments later. Finding himself right to the side of the creature's head, there was no question of what he would do. A point blank Impact Wolf hit the Wyvern's head, breaking its lower jaw right off and snapping its head to the left. But then its head turned back.

Usopp paled. _It's still alive?!_

The Grimm's right wing swatted Usopp right back to the ground fast enough that he couldn't employ a proper landing strategy. He stood up, wincing at the bones he broke for what felt like the hundredth time. His Aura was also depleted.

 _Damn, just back where we started. Do I dare try the same tactic two times in a row? The creature learns dangerously fast. Oh, and here comes the fire again. Great._

The Wyvern tried once again to breath a torrent of fire, but the result was that instead of a concentrated stream, the lack of a lower jaw made it scatter and dissipate. Its range was therefore much shorter than normal, and Usopp didn't even have to dodge.

 _Well… I didn't kill it, and I didn't ground it, but at least it will have to get close if it wants to kill me. That's something at least._

The Wyvern circled Usopp for a while before suddenly diving down. Usopp decided to try the first strategy he came up with, which was mixing Skull Bombgrass seeds and Platanus Shuriken seeds into a varied barrage that would at the very least truly ground the monster. Growing up Black Kabuto again and firing eight or so Skull Bombgrass seeds with sixteen Platanus shuriken seeds, Usopp hoped that it wouldn't backfire.

Noticing the larger explosive seeds, the Wyvern interrupted its dive to blow them all away. Leafy shurikens were also blown away if the angle they flew at was slightly off, but most hit true, tearing up the already tattered wings into obsoleteness.

"Fall you damn monster!" Usopp yelled out, but looking down, he saw a reflected Skull Bombgrass seed burrowing into the concrete. It exploded into a magnificent skull shaped cloud, with Usopp being sent flying straight into the air.

Both the Wyvern and Usopp crashed into the ground at the same moment. Usopp coughed blood as he pushed himself up.

 _Damn, eight Skull Bombgrass seeds was pushing my luck... but at the same time, I may have needed at least eight to destroy it should it have continued its dive..._

The Wyvern crashed unfortunately close to Usopp, but it too was already getting up, eyes glowing menacingly. Preparing another Impact Wolf or two in order to finish the creature off, he forgot one important thing.

If he was close enough to hit with an Impact Wolf, the Wyvern was close enough to use its fire. The only warning he had was the orange glow forming in what remained of its mouth. He might have been able to dodge with that warning if it was a normal concentrated stream, but the fire scattered like a shotgun blast and scorched Usopp. Screaming from the excruciating pain of being set on fire alive, he didn't even have time to put himself out with Water Dust before he was met with a whip-like tail slamming his head from the side. His skull cracked and he was sent flying through a row of buildings, putting out the fire.

* * *

Mercury whistled as he witnessed Usopp crashing through building after building. "Well, that's the end of that. I don't think he'll get up after that one."

Walking away, he decided it was time for him to record other things.

* * *

Dazed and disoriented, Usopp struggled to get a grasp of what had happened and where he was. _I should get up and finish of that stupid dragon… Ugh, but I really don't want to get up with all the bones I've broken. My body feels burnt all over too. I think my head is bleeding… Am I in a building or on the street? I don't want to open my eyes to check though._

Hearing someone familiar cry out in pain, however, made him open his eyes and roll to the side. He saw some random White Fang asshole stabbing his katana into Blake's abdomen.

Painfully, Usopp stood up on broken legs, pulled back his slingshot with broken arms, and let loose an attack. Two leafy shurikens flew through the air at the man, but he used his katana to block both. He slid back a foot or two and winced. His sword, glowing red, managed to absorb much of the force from the shurikens, which now fell harmlessly to the ground.

Usopp's jaw dropped as he froze in both fear and pain.

"Usopp! No, his Semblance-" Blake tried to say, but it was too late. Adam had already charged forward and cut Usopp from shoulder to waist, making him fall to his knees.

"Didn't tell him about my Semblance, huh? It's like you killed him yourself. It's a shame he didn't get cut in half like I intended though. He'll suffer more like this."

Blake, overcome with shock and guilt, couldn't help but start sobbing. "...Usopp..."

"Don't... listen... I'll... live..." Usopp choked out.

"Don't delude yourself. With all that blood you're losing, I won't even have to raise another finger."

Usopp could only glare, feeling frustrated at both himself and this new person. _I might have been able to dodge if half my bones weren't broken, dammit! And I only have so many broken bones because I messed up against the dragon. And now, because of that mistake, I'm almost out of action while the dragon might be killing everyone else. Come on useless, one step at a time. Grab your damn slingshot and get rid of that nuisance!_

Usopp shakily reached to the ground where he dropped his slingshot, but he leaned forward too much and fell onto the ground face first. He let out a pained cry, but he immediately tried to push himself up.

"U-Usopp?" a voice asked.

Turning his head to the side, he saw Yang with her mouth wide open, slightly recoiling with shock.

* * *

Never in her experience had Yang ever seen Usopp hurt this bad.

She'd seen him survive and stay conscious with all manner of horrific injuries before. However, his burnt and broken body, which was bleeding from a slash on his chest, and shaking from the effort of getting up, made her worry if Usopp was even going to live through the night.

"One after another... I guess I get the chance to kill another person you care about in front of you."

Yang's attention shifted towards Adam and the fallen Blake at his feet, and her expression hardened. "I won't let you lay another finger on them!"

"Just… let me handle it.. Yang!" Usopp said as he continued to try to at least get back to his knees.

"I won't sit back as someone tries to kill my friends! You've fought hard, Usopp, but please get some rest and survive."

Yang turned away from Usopp's shocked face and charged with all the rage and determination she could possibly muster. She vaguely heard shouts from both Blake and Usopp, but there was only one thing on her mind.

It was to get this bastard away from her friends.

However, in the end, simple rage and determination did absolutely nothing to prevent her arm from being cleanly cut off with a single strike from the man's katana. Passing out from the pain, her body tumbled and crashed into the ground.

* * *

Usopp could only blankly stare forward as he watched his friend get maimed in front of him without being able to do a damn thing. By the time Yang hit the ground though, his senses returned to him and he glared intensely enough that Adam briefly glanced in his direction before scoffing.

With fresh waves of rage-induced adrenaline, Usopp managed to reach into his pouch and take out an Impact Wolf seed. It was normally reserved for powerful Grimm, but Usopp had run out of both patience and mercy.

As Adam moved to finish Yang off, a red portal appeared in between him and Yang. Another masked figure, this one a woman with black hair fiercely attacked Adam with a flurry of sword blows that caught him off guard.

Usopp was rather clueless on how or why someone appeared from nowhere, but he took the opportunity to line up a shot. When he released his hold on the sling though, the woman jumped backwards, disengaging. Adam also noticed the leafy wolf, but it was a few moments later. Wisely deciding to dodge, he almost completely moved out of it's path.

Almost.

The three meter wide shockwave managed to catch his left arm, depleting his Aura and completely destroying his arm from the elbow down. Screaming in pain, he looked at Usopp one more time before running away.

The strange masked woman made no effort to pursue the man, and Usopp wasn't in any shape to do so either. The woman stared at Usopp for a while, assessing him, before walking back towards the portal she came out of.

"When Yang wakes up… tell her that I won't be there to save her again."

She left as soon as she said that, leaving Usopp and Blake confused. But with all the immediate threats taken care of, Usopp couldn't keep himself awake any longer.

* * *

When Usopp woke up again, he felt himself completely wrapped in bandages. His nose was straightened out, but it was too painful for him to even try to get up. To his side were Yang and Blake, only the latter of which was conscious.

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing," he heard Nora say.

 _Oh no… It wasn't the Grimm Dragon was it? So, because I couldn't deal with it, Jaune and Pyrrha... no no NO!_

"What?!" a voice like Ruby's said.

 _Wait, I'll use my power to see if… if they're alive somewhere._

"Look, guys, that giant Grimm is walking around the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!" This time it was Sun.

"We're not... leaving!" Ren said.

 _I see them! They're both at the base of the central tower!_

"I'll find them… I'll find them, and I'll bring them back," Ruby said.

Not trusting his voice, Usopp simply raised his arm and pointed at the tower. Ruby's eyes widened, but she quickly nodded with understanding. "Thank you, I'll be back!"

"You mean _we'll_ be back," Weiss corrected.

Usopp could only watch their Aura's helplessly as they did the job that should have been his.

 _Although… even if I could try and help Jaune and Pyrrha, I'd probably just fail anyways. I have no excuses for failing against that damn Grimm, so why should I even let my injuries be an excuse now? I only have these injuries because I failed. Yang lost her arm because I failed. I couldn't even finish off that stupid White Fang asshole, so I failed there too. Next time one of my friends encounters him… it might be more than an arm that is lost._

Usopp continued monitoring the situation with his ability, even though he didn't really want to. He saw Pyrrha send Jaune away, and he also saw a powerful Aura heading to the top of the tower. It was Cinder's Aura, but it had changed. It made Usopp feel wary.

His wariness turned into heart pounding fear as Pyrrha ascended the tower. He felt a fresh wave of tears coming when he realized Pyrrha was only challenging Cinder because she was the second strongest. She wouldn't need to do it if he could still fight.

"Is that giant Grimm climbing the tower?" he heard Sun ask.

His fear did not wane for a single moment when Cinder and Pyrrha started their fight. It wasn't going well at all. Ruby and Weiss were almost at the base of the tower, but the fight was at the top of it. Not only that, but they were slowing down and fighting what was probably a swarm of Grimm that the Wyvern was spawning. If it was climbing the tower for whatever reason, it would be right above Weiss and Ruby.

 _Can they make it in time? Actually, even if they make it in time, what difference will it make? Cinder will just kill all three of them. If I could just use Black Kabuto right now, I'm sure I could take a shot even from here. Although it's not like Cinder's going to sit still long enough for a Dust round or a Pop Green to reach her. Not from this distance. And anything that wouldn't need to hit her directly would also hit and possibly kill Pyrrha. Even though all of that is true... why does it just feel like I'm making excuses to myself?_

He couldn't be sure how from just looking at their Auras, but Ruby had somehow made it up the side of the tower, surely passing the Wyvern that he couldn't detect. He felt only a small amount of hope, but it was quickly replaced by pure dread as Pyrrha's Aura simply vanished. It never vanished like that even if one's Aura was depleted, so it could only mean one thing.

He felt himself go cold as his worst fear manifested itself. But no matter how much he'd like to fool himself, this was reality.

 _Damn it all! What the hell were those two years of training for?! Why am I even here?! I'm no Luffy! I can't protect anyone! Why..._

He let out a deep breath.

 _Why did I think I could do anything? Me, the weak and cowardly sniper of the Straw Hats... I miss them all so much... I want to go back to the Sunny so bad! I want to laugh and dance and party… and cry with them again. I want to sail with them… but..._

 _I need to earn that right._

 _I can sit here and cry about my weakness all I want, but like it or not, my friends in this world are even weaker. The fact that the enemy stole some of my Pop Greens puts them in even more danger. It would take them a huge amount of time to figure out how to safely use them on their own, but I refuse to take any comfort in that. My friends can lose limbs and die. They can be torn to pieces before my eyes, and... they need someone stronger than me._

 _In other words... Unless I can get stronger, they will all die. I could die too, with no one to tell Luffy and everyone else what truly happened to me._

 _So, I'm sorry Luffy, but I don't have the time to look for a way home anymore. I need to train, I need to unlock my Semblance, and I need to figure out more about my strange ability._

 _And only then, once the people behind this attack are no longer a threat, will I have earned back my place on that ship._

 **A/N: I may have taken some liberties with the Wyvern's intelligence and fire breath(imo if a Leviathan can breath fire, so can a Wyvern) as well as the limits of Adam's hax Semblance, but I don't think I did anything too crazy.**

 **Anyways, I was hoping to finish Volume 3 this chapter, but it was getting pretty long and it's also been more then two months since I last updated. Next one may be a bit short, but it will wrap everything up and hopefully come out sooner than this one did.**


	16. Aftermath

The medical professionals at the hospital Usopp was staying at told him that he was now fit to be released. They also told him that his recovery was 'miraculous,' but he was pretty sure he'd been told the same thing the last time he visited this very hospital. Although, his injuries were admittedly far more serious this time around. While his burnt flesh and broken bones healed nicely, the slash on his chest scarred. Usopp didn't mind it that much though. At least it wasn't on his back. If it was, then his warrior's pride would be wounded, and of course Zoro would never let him live it down.

From both his current and prior visit to this hospital, Usopp could tell that the doctors of this world were quite skilled. While not as skilled as Chopper, their advanced medical technology more than made up for the difference. He figured that if Chopper ever saw what a hospital looked like in Remnant, then he'd absolutely have stars in his eyes.

Opening the hospital door, he managed to slam someone else who was probably about to open it themselves. Looking at the unfortunate soul, he was surprised to see that it was actually Jaune.

"Jaune?"

He also noticed that Nora and Ren were at his side, helping Jaune get up from the ground.

"Wait… Usopp?! So you're alright after all?!"

"Is there a reason I wouldn't be?"

The three just stared, dumbfounded for a moment before Nora could think of a response. "Oh, I don't know, maybe since the doctor last night said that you had lost a _lethal_ amount of blood and he was surprised you were even breathing?"

"That wouldn't be the first time a doctor said something like that to me."

"It's the first time _we_ heard it, though," Ren retorted.

"We're just glad you survived," Jaune said.

"...Well, I'm glad too. Thanks."

Although, looking at the three made his thoughts drift to Pyrrha, and Usopp's gaze fell to the floor. _I really let everyone down._

Jaune put a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "You did what you could."

"I just… I should have taken training more seriously at Beacon. I wasted so much time that I could have used to unlock my Semblance or practice other things."

Ren patted his back. "The fault lies with Cinder, not you. Don't forget that."

"And maybe your Semblance is already unlocked," Nora said, "I didn't know what mine was until I was struck by a lightning bolt after all."

"You're all too nice..."

 _Which makes the fact that I failed everyone that much worse._

"There's some other things that happened that you should probably know about," Jaune said, "If you feel like you're ready, though. It isn't exactly good news."

Usopp let out a breath. He really wasn't in the mood for _more_ bad news, but at the same time, putting it off wasn't going to do him any good. "I may as well hear it now."

So Jaune gave him a rundown of what he had missed. From what Usopp could tell, there were several important points that were worth noting.

First of all, Ozpin was missing, although his death was very likely considering the circumstances Jaune last saw him in. Second, the CCT was down, and with it, global communications. The last thing the world saw was Atlesian robots siding with Grimm and the White Fang, as well as Usopp losing to the Wyvern. And the third and perhaps most important thing was that Blake was missing, Weiss was taken back to Atlas, and Ruby was unconscious. And of course, Yang was still recovering from her traumatic injury, but Usopp had already suspected that.

If Usopp had to summarize the situation, it just seemed like everything was going to shit. But maybe he could salvage something now that he had recovered. "If Cinder and her followers left, then I should probably head over and clear out Beacon. Then someone could get the CCT running again, right?"

Jaune shook his head. "I'm sorry, but even for you, clearing out Beacon right now would be a suicide mission. That massive Grimm you fought was frozen, but it's also attracting vast quantities of Grimm to Beacon. And it's not like they're all simple Beowolves or Ursai, I've heard that Leviathans crawled out of the sea to enter Beacon, and Goliaths are crowding the streets. Massive Nevermores are also patrolling the skies, so there is no clear way to finish off the Wyvern either."

"Well… shit. It's even worse than what I fought at Mountain Glenn."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad. Some initial estimates put the number of Grimm in the tens of thousands. I don't think anyone really knows what to do about it, but at least none of those Grimm are attacking Vale for now. But enough about that, why don't we pick up something to eat?"

* * *

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Jaune asked.

With his mouth full of noodles, he simply shook his head.

"Well, it's just that do you think you could get your strong pirate friends to help out? If they're at least as strong as you, then you'd be able to take Beacon back if you worked together."

Usopp swallowed his food, and then laughed. "They sure would be helpful right about now, wouldn't they? But unfortunately, getting their help right now is impossible."

"Like, impossible-impossible or Usopp-impossible?" Nora asked.

"It's impossible-impossible."

Jaune looked down in shame. "Oh… I'm sorry, just forget that I brought it up."

"No no, they're not dead or anything... It's just..."

 _May as well tell them. After everything that happened, worrying about them thinking I'm crazy seems trivial._

"It may be hard to believe, and I didn't tell any of you about it before because it is _that_ crazy, but I'm not from some random undiscovered island, but rather another world entirely."

Jaune, Nora, and Ren stared at him for a while, which was expected. He let them stare and digest everything, hoping that they would believe him, but preparing to laugh it off if they didn't.

Ren was the first to speak. "How can you be sure?"

 _That's promising… it's not a flat out denial of possibility._

"The moon in my world isn't broken, first of all. And my world also has a massive continent that circles the entire world, something that definitely doesn't exist here. I could list more if you wanted, but I don't see a point."

"I see," Ren replied. Silence followed for a few moments before it was broken again by Nora.

"So… technically, you're an alien?" she asked.

"I'm human!"

"Considering how fast you recovered, your long nose, and the fact that you could survive on less blood than a normal person… You being an alien actually explains so much!"

"I can see the long nose argument, but milk and Aura explain my recovery speed," Usopp countered.

"Like hell they do!" Jaune said.

Usopp laughed. "Oh yeah, and being treated in a hospital also helps."

"That's still not... oh forget it. But, that does explain why you can't get your friends to help. You arrived here alone, didn't you?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah… But, do you all actually believe me?"

"At the very least, this doesn't fit the pattern of what you'd normally lie about," Ren said, "If you talked about how travelling between worlds as some sort of personal feat, then I'd be more skeptical."

"He put it better than I could have," Jaune said, "I'm just curious how you even got here."

"I'm not even sure… I just fell into a hole that opened up in the ground, and not too long after that I fell into the water next to Vale. It happened around nine months ago, so I was just in time for Beacon's Initiation. One of the reasons that I signed up for Beacon was that I thought I might find a way back home. I was so worried about what my friends would have to fight without me that I used all of my free time trying to return to them. Of course, I barely found any leads and it was a mostly fruitless endeavor… Ruby helped me too. Besides helping me research, she also helped me believe that my friends are still alive, and that getting home was in fact possible. But, maybe if I had used that time to train-"

Jaune held up his hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there. There was no way to know that something like this would happen. You were already leagues ahead of everyone else, so at the very least I wouldn't have focused on training if I was that strong. Anyways, I can also try to help you get home if you need it."

"Me too," Nora said.

"I'll give my support as well," Ren said.

"I'll gladly take you all up on that, but not right now. Cinder is my priority right now, as I wouldn't be able to face my crewmates with pride if I left you all to deal with her by yourselves. But yeah, considering that I don't even understand how I got here, it's impossible to try and get any of my crewmates here as well."

"But it could happen naturally like it did with you though." Nora said.

"That's… well, you're not wrong, but if anyone strong from my world arrived here, they would probably just be a scumbag. And even if they are a good guy, if they're a marine, they would try to kill me for being a pirate."

"So we just need to get lucky."

Usopp twitched. "That isn't happening."

* * *

In the throne room of the White Fang, their leader seethed while watching the recording of Beacon's fall. "What the hell is this?!" he asked, "Why is the White Fang helping with this madness?!"

The guards could only look at each other nervously at their leader's outburst.

"Who the hell was in charge of Vale again?"

"Um… it was Adam, sir," a guard replied.

The leader clenched his webbed hand. "Dammit, tell that bastard to come here right now!"

"Right away sir!"

His eyes bloodshot, no one dared to bother him further. His gaze wandered back to the scroll from which he watched the recording continue, barely noticing something that made his eyes go wide with shock.

The human fighting the Wyvern was undoubtedly one of the four that he remembered assaulting his park. It happened decades ago, before his hair started to turn gray, so the finer details were getting fuzzy for him. However, that long nosed man was definitely there.

Arlong stared out blankly, lost in thought. A part of his history that he never thought he would have to deal with again was now staring him in the face.

* * *

Zoro wandered the streets of Wano's Flower Capital, searching everywhere with both his eye and his Observation Haki. A part of him was looking for people with crescent moon tattoos on their ankles, but his focus was searching for Usopp.

It had been six days since he disappeared, but he was seemingly nowhere in the entire country. Raizo had infiltrated the prisoner mines in Udon, but he wasn't even present there.

Of course, there was always the possibility that they missed him somehow, so Zoro and everyone else resolved themselves to continue searching while maintaining their cover. He passed by the carpentry place where he would normally catch Franky working under the name of Franosuke, although he quickly noticed something wrong.

 _Where the hell is Franky?_


	17. Aftermath Pt 2

While Usopp continued his lunch, a part of him couldn't help but worry. There were simply too many people from his world that he would be powerless to defeat. What was he supposed to do if someone like Kizaru arrived here? Run away? From someone who can travel at the speed of light?! It's not like he could win against him either. He has no way to counter the Admiral's logia power, and even without it, Usopp was sure he would lose just by virtue of his physical strength.

And that was just one person. There were many others that fell firmly into the 'unbeatable' category, and it seemed like every second, a new name and face to worry about popped into his mind.

Usopp groaned. He just didn't know enough about how he arrived in Remnant to know if he even should be worrying about people from his world. For all he knew, what happened to him was a once in a millennia occurrence, or it could be something that happens every Tuesday. While he hadn't exactly caught wind of any unexplainable disappearances while he was in his own world, it was no guarantee that it couldn't happen in the future.

"Gah... I can't stop worrying about enemies from my world that could show up at any moment."

"It can't be something that happens often, though," Jaune said, "If some of these people are as strong as you claim, then Remnant would have been conquered or wiped out by now. Or some uber-powerful Huntsman would have made themselves known."

"That's true. At the very least, I don't think anyone powerful enough to take on the world with no repercussions has arrived yet. But, I still think that my world's enemies are something to at least be concerned about. I'll try to draw the faces that I remember of the people you should be careful around. And I'll try to give what I know about their powers, and just how dangerous they are. I'll also tell you about some things unique to my world, and what their weaknesses are. And… well, while I'm at it, I may as well draw the people from my crew in case you bump into them."

Taking out a stack of paper that he conveniently had on him, he got to work drawing faces from memory, which wasn't easy at all. Usopp was sure that he was forgetting about a lot of people, but the stack of faces he quickly made was a good start. The drawings he had absolute confidence in, however, were the ones of his crewmates. He also wrote down what he knew about Devil Fruits, both in general, and details about specific powers he could remember.

"Here, this should help you out."

* * *

In the cold, icy landscape of Solitas, one man grabbed a Megoliath by its trunk and slammed into another one, causing both to dissolve.

"Weapons Left!"

Waves of approaching Sabyrs were shot down with rapid fire shots.

"Strong Right!"

A metal fist crushed a Megoliath skull from afar, with only a chain connecting it to its owner. As it dissolved, many surrounding Grimm got the message and cleared out.

"Damn, what the hell are those things? Are they puppets made by some Devil Fruit power? But more importantly, this damn cold is actually worth worrying about! This day isn't turning out to be super at all!"

This would not be the first time Franky found himself in a freezing environment without the proper clothing, but it did not make this experience any better. Especially since this place seemed even colder than any place he's been to. Luckily, he spotted some sort of aircraft flying above.

"Now, maybe I can catch a ride with them. This will take a bit of cola, but..."

Franky's ass started to inflate to a ridiculous degree. His top half was smaller than his bottom half for once, even if it was shaped like a balloon.

"Coup de Boo!" he shouted as a massive cola powered fart propelled him to the unfortunate aircraft. At the apex of his flight, he was close enough to extend his arm, grab on, and get on top of the thing. It barely managed to stabilize with the metal cyborg being almost half of the aircraft's size.

He looked over the edge and knocked on one of the side doors. "Hey, it's super cold out here! Mind letting me in?!"

* * *

Arthur Watts sighed as he laid back into his chair. He was by no means a botanist, but regardless, he was still considered the most qualified to study the mysterious Pop Greens that Cinder had delivered some time ago.

He was almost at the point where he could give a proper report to Salem, he only had to check a particular experiment of his before he was ready. Although, the strange plants certainly made him scratch his head in confusion many times.

There were two ways that a Pop Green seed could grow. One way would produce relatively harmless and mundane seed producing plants. These plants, like normal plants, require adequate water, light, and soil. There was nothing particularly hard about this side of Pop Greens to understand, even though plant care was by no means his specialty.

What was giving him trouble was the side that could be weaponized. Under certain circumstances, the seeds could grow into a fully sized plant in moments. This plant did not resemble the seed producing variety at all, and they don't need water or sunlight to grow. Some don't even need to be in the ground, which makes handling Pop Greens potentially dangerous if one didn't know what they were doing. What triggers this response is different for each species of Pop Green, which made his job harder. Of course, if his latest experiment was a success, then these issues could be circumvented.

 _Now, to check on that one group of plants…_

Exiting his lab and venturing outside, he walked towards a Grimm pool that had several Pop Green plants growing next to it. It's not an idea he thought would work, even though Salem had ordered it. One didn't need to be a botanist to think that replacing water with Grimm liquid was by no means viable for a plant. Most had simply withered and died on the spot, although a select few had somehow survived. It was just another thing about Pop Greens that made him scratch his head.

Looking at the plants that managed to survive so far, the color of their leaves turned to a deep black, and the branches turned bleach white. The seeds they produced, however, were a mix of the two.

 _Wait, seeds?_

Kneeling down, it seemed that the corrupted plants had actually managed to produce seeds somehow. He honestly wasn't sure how it was possible, but then again, he thought the same about the plants even surviving.

 _So this is the result… I wonder if they work, and what they would even produce. But if it's something Grimm related, then Salem would be able to control it._

As he started to harvest the seeds, a few seeds fell on their own, straight into the black pool. It started bubbling violently for several seconds before a black, leafy claw reached out.

Arthur took a few steps back, but he was grinning as the rest of the monster crawled out of its pool. _This project is officially a success._

An ear splitting howl reverberated across the land.

* * *

"So, this is their house?" Usopp asked.

It was a place in the middle of nowhere, on the island of Patch.

Jaune nodded. "We've visited here once before while you were recovering."

Usopp knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Qrow answered. His jaw hung open for a second. "How the hell did you recover so fast, kiddo?"

Usopp started to say 'Milk' before he was interrupted by Nora shouting "It's cause he's an alien!"

By this point, Taiyang had also made it to the front door, being very confused at the conversation.

"Nora, you can't just tell everyone that and expect them to believe you. Even if it's technically true," Ren said.

Usopp sighed. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter if people think we're crazy."

Qrow's jaw hung lower, before he shook his head. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, but I just want to check in on Ruby and Yang. If that's alright."

"Ruby's still unconscious," Taiyang said, "But Yang is in her room. She's tough, but… It's just going to take some time for her to get used to things. Ah, but I should introduce myself. I'm Taiyang, Yang and Ruby's father."

Usopp shook his hand. "And I'm Usopp. Ruby, Yang, and I are friends. Can I talk to Yang?"

"Alone?"

"You're her father, so I won't stop you from joining in if you want."

"...Nah, I'll let you two have some time alone. Since you were there when… well..."

"Thanks."

He started to walk off to Yang's room, but Qrow's hand stopped him. "Wait a second, are we just going to forget about the whole deal of you being an alien?"

"I can explain it myself later if you want, but if you want to know about it now, you can ask Jaune, Nora, or Ren."

Qrow nodded, intending to do exactly that.

With everything settled, Usopp knocked on Yang's door. "This is Usopp, do you have a moment?"

There was a pause. It wasn't for several seconds before Yang replied, "Yeah, sure. come in."

He opened the door to see a melancholic Yang, sitting on her bed and looking out the window. And of course, she was missing an arm.

 _And whose fault is that…_

He wanted to ask something like 'Are you okay?' but the answer was pretty obvious from her appearance. In the end, even though he was the one who had wanted to initiate the conversation, he was struggling with how to start it.

Yang solved that problem for him.

"It's good to see you up and moving. For a moment, I thought… I thought that I may have lost you too."

 _That's right, those doctors really scared everyone with their doom and gloom… Or maybe it was actually seeing my horribly injured body that did so._

"Well, the doctors that took care of me knew what they were doing. But that's not why I came. First of all, I came to apologize."

"What for?"

And so, Usopp spent the next several minutes explaining what he already told Jaune, Nora, and Ren about. That he was from another world, that he spent much of his free time trying to find a way home, and that things might have been different if he used that time to get stronger.

"I see… You're right to think I wouldn't have believed that a while ago. But I think you're putting far more blame on yourself than you should."

"Maybe… thanks… But that's not the only reason I wanted to talk with you. There's something that happened after you lost consciousness that night that had me confused, but it also saved our lives."

Yang's attention was focused on Usopp, a silent inclination to continue.

"Some woman came out of a portal and started attacking that White Fang swordsman. She had that bastard on the defensive, so I used the opportunity to get a shot off on him. He lost an arm from that, so he ran away."

"What did that woman look like?"

"Her face was covered by a mask, but she had long, black hair. Her clothes were red and black, but my memories about the exact details of her outfit are hazy at best."

Yang stared off into nothingness, lost in thought.

"That woman also told me to tell you that she would not be there to save you again. Do you know who this person is? She seemed to know your name at least."

"I… think so? It's a lot to process… I just need to think about it."

"I'll leave you to do that, then. But before I leave, I have two things to give to you."

The first thing was a makeshift 'handbook' that contained everything that he had written down for Jaune, Nora, and Ren about possible enemies from his world, Devil Fruit powers, and his crew.

The second thing, however, was a letter.

"Can you give that letter to Ruby when she wakes up? Of course, if you want to check it over beforehand, that's fine."

Yang nodded, and Usopp left soon after.

* * *

On their boat ride out of Patch, Jaune caught Usopp looking out to the waves.

"I hope you're not planning anything reckless, Usopp," Jaune said.

"Like what?"

"Like going after Cinder alone or something."

Usopp laughed. "Oh of course not! I caught a glimpse of her Aura, and it seems even scarier than before for some reason. I wouldn't want to fight her."

He lied as naturally as he breathed.

* * *

By nightfall, curiosity got the better of Yang, and she opened Usopp's letter to Ruby.

 _Hey Ruby, if you're reading this then I guess you finally woke up. I'm sorry for not staying here until you did, but there's something I need to take care of by myself. For the time being, don't worry anymore about helping me find a way home. Even if I could right now, it wouldn't feel right._

 _Not with Cinder still on the loose, at least._

 _You're all great friends, so I know everyone's too kind to say it, but I really messed up back there in Beacon. And because of that, Pyrrha's not coming back. I've already apologized to Jaune, Nora, and Ren as of writing this letter, but that will never be enough. The only thing to do from here is to make sure something like this doesn't happen again._

 _So I'm going after Cinder. If she's still in Haven by the time I get there, I'll make it her grave. Since I'm a pirate, it's only fitting that I should be the one to dirty my hands._

 _I am a bit concerned about people from my world showing up out of the blue and giving you trouble, so please look through the handbook I gave to your sister. Even though that might be a problem, I don't think it's that likely, so I'll make Cinder my priority. I'll use my ability to find her and any underlings with her, and snipe them from far away. That way, I should be able to avoid Emerald's Semblance, and if I'm lucky, finish of Cinder before she gets the chance to fight me fairly._

 _I probably won't get lucky though, so I'll also try to get stronger on the way. Hopefully I'll get my_ _Semblance, but if not, I have a couple of other ideas for techniques to try out._

 _Of course, knowing you, I'm sure you'll try to follow me. Nothing I say can stop you, so just be safe. By the time you get to Haven, everything should be taken care of already._

 _-Usopp_

Yang clenched her fist. "You idiot... You always pull stunts like this... Just don't die."

 **A/N: Whew, finally done with the 'interlude' type chapters and ready to move on to the next phase. Something I learned though, is that I can't write Yangst for the life of me. I feel like she should have been more mellowed out this chapter, but whenever I tried to write it that way, I would kind of feel empty and lose the motivation to write. But on the other hand, I felt like I couldn't just skip the conversation between Usopp and Yang. So if Yang feels OOC here, I'm sorry.**

 **Anyways, I'm pretty hyped to write some of the things coming up, but I unfortunately can't talk about it. You should be able to guess some of it though.**


	18. Bon Voyage

Franky was shivering. Although he was given a blanket, it was nowhere near large enough to cover his enormous frame.

"So first of all, how did you even get on top of this Manta?"

There were five normal sized people standing in front of him. The strangest physical trait between the lot of them was a wolf tail, but other than that, they looked pretty average to Franky.

"Simple, I used the super power of cola to fart strong enough to send me up here. But thanks for letting me in, the cold was unbearable out there!"

"Hey hey," said the wolf tailed one, "Are we just going to let him explain with _that_ excuse?"

"I can fart again to prove it if you really are going to doubt me!"

"Please don't," a thin man said.

A man with a fishing rod held his hand up. "I'm more interested in what you mean by 'cola powered.' Are you saying that Dust doesn't power your mechanical parts? And are you actually talking about the drink, or is it an acronym?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'Dust,' but I can assure you that the soda, cola, powers my functions. It's no acronym."

"That's… interesting."

The man, Clover, turned back to the rest of his team. With a low voice, he said, "If he's telling the truth, then cola power would actually be rather revolutionary, as silly as it sounds. It's cheaper and easier to produce than Dust."

" _If_ he's telling the truth," Marrow said.

"He sounds more like a lunatic to me," Harriet said.

"There's no harm in letting him prove it, though," Elm said.

"And if he's a spy?" Vine asked.

"We'll keep an eye on him and not give him any sensitive information," Clover said.

"Hey, what are you all whispering about?" Franky asked.

"Oh, we're just shocked by your… ingenuity," Clover said.

"Oh stop, you're gonna make me blush."

"That's all well and good, but I hope you don't mind if you continue asking some of our questions."

"That's fine, but I have some questions of my own to ask after you're done."

"We'll oblige, as long as it's not classified. So, what's your name and what kingdom are you from?"

"I'm, uh, Franosuke. I'm a simple carpenter from Wano Country."

 _Oh wait, this isn't Wano, so I probably shouldn't have used my fake identity... Well, it's too late now._

"Wano Country?"

"You've never heard of it? It's the country with all the super cool ninjas and samurai!"

"...Oh, you mean Mistral then?"

"No? I'm pretty sure Wano is the only island with ninjas. I've never heard of an island called Mistral."

"Mistral is a country on the _continent_ of Anima."

Franky frowned in thought. Things simply were not adding up, but he figured that these people must just be sheltered if they thought there was a landmass besides the Red Line large enough to be a continent. But why would a community capable of air travel be so isolated? And how did he even get here?

"We're almost at Atlas, Franosuke. I hope you don't mind if we wait on more questions until you can prove the validity of what you've already said."

Franky huffed, but agreed to the conditions. _These guys may have no sense for how big the world is, but their technology is worth learning about. Ah, but I can't just mess around here, I have to get back to Wano in time and find those mansion blueprints… But surely, learning how to make a flying ship would help, right? Gah, what a dilemma!_

By the time they flew into Atlas, night had fallen. He was forced to stay in the aircraft with the wolf tailed man watching him until the rest could brief their General on the situation, but with the place less cramped, he could finally get a good view out of the front window.

And that's when he saw a shattered moon.

* * *

The scent of the sea was nostalgic.

Of course, this wasn't Usopp's first ride on a boat in this world, but this time was different. Rather than a short ride to Patch, it was a multi-week voyage to another continent.

Despite the extreme danger of his self imposed mission, Usopp still felt unusually calm. A part of him hoped that it was a sign of his bravery, but the rest felt that he was too stupid to recognize just how dangerous this solo journey would be.

He knows that his friends would have leapt at the chance to join him, and he would have even welcomed it a week ago. Since the Fall though, he just couldn't bring himself to believe in the strength of his friends. Nor could he believe in his own ability to protect them.

 _They're all warriors, so doing this is probably just insulting. But what am I supposed to do? Bring them with and watch them die? Or watch helplessly as their limbs are taken one by one?_

 _I'd rather die than feel so helpless again._

He stayed up late looking out to the sea, trying to keep the recent past, as well as the near future, off of his mind. Even when the waters turned pitch black under the night sky, he stayed out. Lightning flashed in the distance, and it started to rain, but Usopp didn't mind. The storm wasn't much when compared to some of the unbelievable phenomenons of the New World, although no storm should ever be underestimated.

A bolt of lightning struck a bit closer to the ship, and it briefly illuminated a monster under the waves. From what he could see, it was long, serpentine, and definitely a Grimm.

 _I'm more surprised that we didn't encounter any earlier. Maybe it's time for a field test._

Usopp took out a special prototype shot he tinkered with earlier. It was a ball about the size of his fist, with a hole that led to the center where he would insert a Pop Green. The outer parts of the ball were also hollow to store Dust. In this case, he was using lightning Dust. He slipped some of his Aura into the Pop Green, which was isolated from the stored Dust in order to not prematurely activate it.

 _Once they grow, the Aura infused shurikens will break the container and 'ignite' the Dust. If this works, then I'll have to tell Jaune I was wrong._

He fired at the waves he saw the monster in, and the plastic ball burst open into two glowing shurikens. They shined brightly, covered in lightning to the point that they looked more like energy shurikens than plant ones.

"Green-Dust Star: Lightning Shuriken!"

The Grimm under the waves noticed the glowing shuriken and shot up and out of the water, spreading its wings. The shuriken curved upward, avoiding the wave and following the creature into the air.

 _They're following that Sea Feilong into the air? There might be an updraft in this storm._

It hurt his sniper's pride that he would have missed if the Grimm stayed still, but wind in stormy situations was always unpredictable. He didn't have Nami's sixth sense for that sort of thing.

By now, crewmembers were scrambling on deck, preparing weapons and getting the ship battle ready.

The Sea Feilong dived back into the water, avoiding the lightning wrapped projectiles and escaping from Usopp's gaze. The shurikens started to fall, although they changed directions before hitting the water, now travelling parallel to the surface of the water and the side of the ship.

 _The wind must be really weird, I can't believe they're still in the air. And they even gained momentum from their fall. Although they're kind of close to the ship, I should probably shoot them down before they sink my ride._

Usopp looked over the edge and prepared to fire intercepting rounds at the shuriken. They were both travelling along the side of the ship, and while they were on route to crash into each other if they continued their path, Usopp couldn't place much faith in that.

However, a second after Usopp stuck his head over the railing, the Sea Feilong jumped out of the water to bite his head off. However, the two lightning shuriken finally hit their mark, sandwiching the monster between them. The charged shuriken cut and melted Grimm flesh, and while there was still a couple of inches left attaching the head and the rest of the serpentine body together, the damage was severe enough to cause the Grimm to dissolve.

 _What the hell?! Isn't that a bit too convenient to be a coincidence?_

This got the attention of the rest of the crew who had been preparing for battle. They stared at him with shock for a few seconds, before bursting into cheer.

"That was amazing!"

"Great shot, dude!"

"That trick shot was unreal!"

Usopp blushed, eating up the praise even though he felt that he just got extremely lucky. Of course, if anyone asked, he claimed that everything had gone according to plan.

More importantly though, his field test was a success.

However, there were some Pop Greens that simply wouldn't work well with Dust, and of course, not all types of Dust would actually increase the potency of his Pop Greens. Also, since his makeshift projectiles were larger than a Pop Green, he wouldn't be able to fire a large amount of them at a time without growing Black Kabuto.

There were some problems, but it was still a step forward. And he planned on taking as many of these steps as possible before getting to Haven.

* * *

Over the last several weeks, there were Grimm attacks at least once a day. Usopp got a bit of a reputation for taking care of them, big or small. Of course, most of the crew and passengers had watched the video of his fight against the Wyvern, but seeing it for their own eyes erased any doubts they may have had.

Usopp didn't just stay idle in between Grimm attacks though, at least after the first day. He made sure to physically train, and he set up a new mobile Pop Green garden that was situated in a custom made cart. He'd probably have to pull it across all of Anima, so that would also help with his physical training.

But now, the ship was finally entering a port on the west side of Mistral, and Usopp's journey by foot would commence. He received thanks from the Captain for protecting the ship before heading off.

Usopp stood still at the docks, knowing that as he traveled farther and farther away from this port village, it would also be harder and harder to change his mind. Now that he had made it this far, a part of him wanted to go back. And, he'd even have a good excuse that wouldn't tarnish his honor, considering that he could just say that he was worried about people from his world showing up out of the blue. And that wouldn't be a lie, as it was something that concerned him. It just wasn't as concerning as Cinder's existence.

However, he also felt that if anyone was unlucky enough to have someone super strong just appear next to them, then it was him. And so, he started walking forwards until he heard a loud splash to his left.

 _What was that?_

He looked around to see if anyone else leaving the boat noticed anything, but it didn't seem to be the case. Wondering if it was just his imagination, he activated his ability and sensed someone underwater. From her outline, she looked like a young woman, and her Aura was unlocked.

 _There is someone! Although, she's probably just from Remnant rather than from another world. Did she just take a dive into the water or something? Although she's flailing her arms around without making any real progress to the surface. She might need help._

Usopp dove into the water and saw that the woman had black hair and tan skin. Also, she was wearing a blue cloak with two scythes attached to her hip. Something about it rang a few bells in Usopp's mind, but he put it to the side for now.

Even though her eyes were covered by a blindfold, she turned her head towards Usopp. Reaching her hand out towards him, he grabbed it and started swimming back to the surface. As soon as they both surfaced and climbed back up on the docks, Usopp let her go.

"Thanks for saving me," she gasped out.

"It's not a problem, but do try and get swimming lessons for the future."

"I _know_ how to swim, I just can't."

Usopp looked at her for a few moments, re-thinking some of the assumptions he made about her. Maybe she wasn't from Remnant after all.

"Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

"Yeah… So you know about them… Then is this place on the Grand Line?"

"I'm sorry, but this is Remnant. I only know about Devil Fruits since I arrived in this world in presumably the same manner that you just came here."

"...I should have known, since your Aura is unlocked. And the way I arrived here was the exact same as the way I was sent to your world."

"So, wait, you were born on Remnant, but after being sent to another world, you managed to get back? Was there anything special that you did?"

 _There are so many questions I need to ask! She could even tell me what my crew is up too, if she's the type to check the news. And also… she seems similar to a legend I read about online, but she's way too young to actually be her._

"Sorry, but it looks like we're in the same boat. I don't have any more of a clue about how our situation happened than you do."

"Well damn… But there is something I need to know! Have you heard anything about Strawhat Luffy in the newspapers recently?"

"I have, but why would you... Wait a second, with that long nose, you must be Usopp, right?"

"Have we met before?"

"No, I don't believe so. My name is Maria Calavera, but I do know that Luffy told me and the others on Amazon Lily about his crew while he was there."

"So you were on Amazon Lily... Although, I don't remember seeing you when the Kuja pirates helped us escape from Saboady."

"I sailed with them on a voyage, but I'm more in charge of defending the island. I prefer it that way. While traveling the world was certainly an experience, I don't agree with some of the things they do. Regardless, I still owe them a debt."

"A debt?"

"At the lowest point in my life, when my eyes were slashed out and I had lost the will to fight, they helped me. They cared for me, and many of them became close friends over the three years that I was there. I learned Observation Haki, so I'm now… less blind. It's not perfect, but it's helped me by leaps and bounds."

"Doesn't Observation Haki just let people predict attacks before they happen?"

"That is the typical combat application, yes. How it manifests itself is different for everyone, though. Some people hear voices, others feel emotions, but for me, I see Auras. And, I can even tell if someone's Aura is unlocked by the brightness of their Aura. At least, that's was my theory after observing my own Aura."

"Oh, that's how you knew I had a long nose despite being blind… Wait, I think I have an ability like that too. If I focus, I can see people's Auras, even from behind walls or from several kilometers away. I know it's not a Semblance, since I had it before I had my Aura unlocked, so I was wondering what that was for the longest time."

"That does sound like it."

"But how do you use that to predict attacks?"

"For that, you'd need training. But with your Haki already awakened, you've already cleared the largest hurdle. If you really can see Auras from several kilometers away, then that's certainly impressive. I myself can only 'see' about fifty meters away."

 _...I can't just ignore this clear way to get stronger, even if Observation Haki is worthless against Grimm._

"Could you please train me then?"

"I'm sorry, but I want to try and find a way back as soon as possible."

Usopp fell down to his hands and knees. "Please... Beacon has fallen, the CCT there is down, and the perpetrators behind it have fled to Haven."

Maria's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"I… I couldn't do a thing! I didn't stop anything! I spent the last nine months searching for a way home instead of becoming stronger, and now one of my friends was killed, and another lost her arm! I'm travelling to Haven, but on the way, I want to get stronger! I... I never want to feel so worthless ever again..."

Maria stayed silent in thought for a few moments. "...I never imagined things would get this bad in a mere three years… I wouldn't have thought that I made _that_ much of a difference, but maybe my existence acted as a deterrent? It seems that there is some trash to take out before I go..."

 _Also, Hancock would kill me if I left one of Luffy's friends alone while the world's falling apart._

"Then, does that mean-"

"Yes, I'll train you. But don't expect things to be easy just because you've already unlocked Observation Haki. I'll be sure to polish up your other skills as well, and at least get you started on the long path to unlock Armament Haki."

"You know that too?"

"It's not my specialty, and I wouldn't trust it to block an attack, but it's enough to give my scythes and bullets a little extra oomph. And don't expect to unlock it by the time you get to Haven, it's a process that could take years. I myself could only start using it recently. So, are you ready to have the Grimm Reaper train you?"

Usopp blinked in surprise, remembering why her outfit and weapons seemed familiar. "But the Grimm Reaper disappeared almost sixty years ago!"

For the second time today, Maria's jaw hung loosely.

* * *

 **A/N: Now, if you do the math, you might notice that the time ratio of Three years to Sixty years doesn't match Usopp's Six Days to Nine Months... I'll just say that it's not a mistake or oversight on my part. And of course, I don't think that Canon Maria's age was ever stated, so I just did an estimate.**

 **Now, don't get me wrong. I absolute adore Old Maria and her sassy attitude. She's one of the better characters in my opinion. But, I also thought that in her flashback, she was incredibly badass, so after that episode came out, I toyed with the idea of bringing back a 'prime' Maria without silver eyes and decided that I liked it. It would also allow me to refer to Usopp's 'ability' as Haki all of the time.**


	19. Coup

Arthur Watts' work only increased after his initial success. The plants that produced the black seeds seemed to do so on a bi-monthly basis at best. And unfortunately, the trait that allowed some of the Pop Greens to survive the Grimm liquid and produce black seeds was a mutation within that generation, rather than something passed down by the parents. In order to increase the production rate of these new seeds, which could not be used to create new black seed bearing plants, more trial and error was required. Hopefully, whatever mutation caused the first batch of plants to be able to survive would occur again. Until then though, the creation of these new powerful Grimm would be quite slow.

The first creature created, a 'Pop Grimm' as Salem had called it, ran off to somewhere unknown. It was some unholy combination of several types of Pop Greens, and it was slightly larger than even a Goliath. Naturally, he conducted several more experiments with the remaining seeds, but with so little data, it was hard to come to any conclusions on how any specific Pop Green merged with any specific Grimm. He was however, able to learn things that seemed to apply to all of the Pop Grimm, or at least the ones spawned from this batch of seeds.

First of all, Pop Grimm would grow to their full size, whatever that may be, immediately after fully exiting the pool. He was able to tell from the bone markings that appeared on them. Their bodies were like those of an Alpha, but with the reckless mentality of a newborn Grimm.

Second, if a corrupted seed was thrown into a Grimm Pool at the moment that a new Grimm was about to be spawned, that Grimm would be a hybrid between the base Grimm species and the Pop Green.

He had also tested to see if 'Pure' Pop Grimm could be formed by throwing a seed in without a base Grimm to merge with, and from his only test, it seemed to be the case. However, there simply were not enough seeds to test everything, so there could have been hidden factors involved.

His one test was with a Devil seed. In its Pop Grimm form, it grew to heights even taller than Salem's Castle, and it was now tasked with its protection. It had its black and thorny vines wrapped around the castle protectively. With a creepy grin that was only accentuated by its pointy and bony teeth, it was truly a monster that would inspire terror.

The Pop Grimm was not always so subservient to Salem, however. At first, it was like a rampaging beast trying to destroy all within reach. That changed however when Salem managed to beat the massive and powerful monstrosity within an inch of its life, instilling a fear into the monster that it did not have by instinct.

 _Salem is truly a terrifying mistress. I don't think she even needed her immortality to beat the damn thing._

Taking a breath, he prepared himself to give his latest report.

* * *

By asking the locals about what year it was, Maria was able to confirm that it had indeed been about sixty years since she lost her eyes and was sent to Amazon Lily. On the flip side, by comparing the date that Usopp was sent to Remnant and the date Maria was sent back to Remnant, they could conclude that it had only been six days since Usopp disappeared.

That raised more questions for the two, as the difference in time flow between the worlds wasn't even consistent. But regardless, a flicker of hope clawed its way into Usopp's heart.

 _I can still make it in time to fight in Wano… I can still help Luffy become the Pirate King!_

After buying Maria some Gravity Dust, they set off. They encountered some weak Grimm almost immediately, but Usopp was able to easily dispose of them. After being on the road for about thirty minutes, Maria decided to start Usopp's training.

Usopp moved his head to the side to try and dodge an attack from behind, but Maria adjusted and hit his head from the side with the back of her scythe.

"Do we really have to do this while I'm pulling the cart?" Usopp asked?

While the cart's main purpose was to act like a mobile garden, Maria was sitting on it in a position directly behind Usopp. "Haki training isn't done overnight, you know."

"I know that, but maybe you shouldn't try and knock my lights out?"

"I wouldn't think that 'God' Usopp would get knocked out by something simple like that."

"And I wouldn't have thought that the 'Grimm Reaper' would need my help fighting a Beowolf!"

Maria kicked Usopp in the back. "W-we agreed not to talk about that!"

To Maria who relied on Observation Haki to sense things, the Grimm were practically invisible. If she had been on her own, she probably would have won against the Beowolf using her Preflexes, but with the chance of injury possible, Usopp ended the fight.

"Hmm, did I?" Usopp said with a grin.

Maria whacked him upside the head again. "This… this is just training, by the way. And you're not doing so well."

Between trying to dodge Maria's attacks, keeping watch for Grimm, using his Haki to detect any bandits, and pulling a cart that was slightly heavier than it should be, Usopp's travels were harder than he would have imagined. It wasn't until the sun set that Maria told Usopp to stop and set up camp.

"Now, it's time to start some real training. Let's start with a spar, so I can see what level you're at."

"But, a lot of my Pop Greens are lethal to people from this world. I know you were a living legend, but..."

"At least against human opponents, I'm even stronger than I was before. It's only Grimm that I have a problem with now, which is ironic, considering I used to be able to... well, forget it."

"But if I hit you with an Impact Wolf, you'd probably die."

She shrugged. "Probably. But what makes you think that you'll hit me?"

In a flash, Maria had already kicked Usopp in the face.

* * *

In the underwater headquarters of the White Fang, Adam Taurus kneeled in front of Arlong, who had called him back with haste.

"Adam Taurus… I trust I need not tell you what you have done wrong…"

"I have done nothing wrong!"

Arlong twitched. "Then let me enlighten you… I don't want to see your miserable existence ever again. I've already sent messengers to the other branches of the White Fang explaining your exile…"

"You're the one who taught me what I know!"

"You're blaming me?! Tell me, when did I ever teach you to hurt the Faunus?! When did I teach you to ally with the damn Grimm?! Your actions at Beacon almost ruined what the White Fang has fought for during the last five years! You've crossed the line by involving innocent Faunus in your schemes, Adam!"

"That line needed to be crossed, or else what the White Fang has fought for would truly be wasted. You're too soft... Not all Faunus deserve our help. The ones living with humans, the misguided ones that you're so worried about, are in the way."

"Enough! Do you have no love for your brothers and sisters?! If they are misguided, then so be it. They still don't deserve to die because their pasts are different than ours! And not all can afford to move out of the Kingdoms, even if they have to suffer under humanity."

"This mentality is why you've barely accomplished anything! I've done more to hurt humanity at Beacon than you've done in the five years you've led the White Fang! I even sacrificed an arm to do so!"

"At the cost of dealing just as large of a blow to the Faunus… Adam, I'm disappointed in you. You show no remorse for your actions, so get out of my sight."

Adam looked up at Arlong and glared at him. "You have no right to do this! You're squandering our shot at eliminating humanity because of the lives of Faunus that won't fight for our cause! You won't even give me a chance to bring my new allies over here, to show you what they can do! You're not even a Faunus! So don't make these decisions for us!"

Arlong's two guards pointed their spears at Adam. "Take that back right now, scum!"

"I refuse."

Arlong himself was silent, but his eyes were bloodshot. He breathed for almost thirty seconds before deciding to speak.

"Adam," He started slowly, "If I am not a Faunus... then what am I? I'm clearly not human, so… What. Else. Could. I. BE?! ARE YOU SAYING I'M ALONE IN THIS WORLD?! ARE YOU SAYING THAT I HAVE NO ONE TO CALL MY KIN?! ANSWER ME, ADAM!"

Without flinching, Adam said, "You're a monster that deluded itself into believing you're one of us."

Adam found himself being punched straight across the throne room. He cracked the walls above the main doors before falling to the ground.

"If you don't want to die, I suggest you leave. NOW!" Arlong yelled.

Adam coughed blood, but he started laughing soon after. "If you want to try and kill me, go ahead. But..."

The doors to the throne opened up, and hundreds of Faunus under Adam filed in with their weapons raised.

"You'll have to bathe in the blood of your so-called 'Brothers and Sisters' if you want to get to me. It shouldn't be too hard for you, right? I know more than anyone that you're strong enough to kill everyone in this room."

"You bastard… I only trusted the Branch Leaders and the guards of this base with my identity, so what are _they_ doing here?"

"Naturally, I told the Faunus of the Vale and Mistral Branches about you, about how you're actually a monster. And they agree that it shouldn't be you who holds that throne. So... just hand over your position peacefully, or there will be Faunus blood on your hands..."

Arlong stood up, staring at the crowd. His guards pointed their spears towards the massed Faunus.

"High Leader Arlong," one guard said, "If we let Adam lead the White Fang, he'll undo all of the progress we've made."

"Even if we have to kill a hundred or so Faunus, we'll help far more by stopping them!"

"I know..."

He punched his hand through the wall behind his throne, grabbing a weapon shaped much like his old Kiribachi saw sword. It was however black with blue highlights, and it could transform like many of the weapons in this world.

"Are you all prepared to die for Adam? Because I'm sure he wouldn't die for you."

The massed Faunus gulped and looked at each other nervously. One of them said, "Hey wait Adam, you said he wasn't going to harm us!"

"He won't," Adam said, "If he was going to kill us, we'd already be dead."

Arlong glared at Adam, but then turned towards his two guards. "We're leaving."

"High Leader, you can't be serious!"

"Please reconsider! If Adam takes the throne..."

"I'm not joking… You don't have to follow me if you don't want to, but I'm leaving."

"Of course we'll follow you."

The crowd parted ways for Arlong and his two guards, and once the doors to the throne room closed, hundreds of Faunus let out a breath that they didn't know they were holding.

"That was scary..." one Faunus said.

"Adam, did you really have to provoke him so much? Calling him a monster is going too far, is it not? He's no Grimm, just a strange Faunus."

Adam shook his head. "It was necessary to show that Arlong is far too soft to lead the White Fang. In that moment, while he was wrong, he truly believed that killing me would help the Faunus as a whole. Even so, he just left peacefully. If that doesn't prove that he's not fit to be the High Leader, then I don't know what does. When the other branches learn of this, I'm sure they'll flock to me."

"Even Sienna Khan's Vacuo Branch?"

"..."

* * *

After her kick, she followed up with slashes from her scythes. Usopp tried to block with his slingshot, but Maria always managed to slip past his guard and damage his Aura.

 _I have to gain some distance!_

Using his most practiced technique, he turned his back to Maria and ran away, or er, _tactically retreated_. Surprisingly, she didn't give chase, but he realized why once a haki infused bullet struck the back of her head. Even with his Aura, it hurt a fair amount.

 _I forgot here scythes were guns as well... which I REALLY shouldn't have forgot since everything is also a gun in this world... But I should still be able to outclass her in a ranged duel._

Turning around, he took another bullet to the head before getting a shot in himself. "Green Star: Platanus Shuriken!"

Maria gracefully dodged the projectiles and cut them from the side.

"Bamboo Javelin!"

Maria stepped to just the right position to avoid being impaled by the deadly bamboo. She then cut the bamboo and kicked several of the javelins back at Usopp. He was able to dodge them fine, but the distraction let Maria fire another bullet that took another large chunk of his Aura.

Usopp felt the urge to complain. While he should have figured that it would be hard to hit someone with Observation Haki, it didn't make things any less irritating. It was even more annoying than fighting that priest in Skypiea.

 _Of course, the way to counter it is to immobilize them or break their focus, but she seems far more disciplined than that priest. And her Aura will block out any sleeping gas… Maybe an explosion will work?_

Trying to move as fast as he could, he prepared to fire a Skull Bombgrass seed without spending too much time aiming. Just as he released the shot, a scythe flew past him and hooked itself on a tree. A purple glow came from Maria's other scythe, and she flew straight towards Usopp. It seemed like the Bombgrass seed would hit her directly.

 _Wait, is she not even dodging? She could die… Damn, why did I use such a deadly seed again?! Am I an idiot, this is just a spar!_

However, in midair, Maria transformed into a small horned beige snake. Moving her serpentine body in a way that a human would simply be incapable of, she narrowly avoided the seed. Soon after, she transformed back into a human and slammed the awestruck Usopp with the blunt end of her scythe.

The ground shook soon after from the skull shaped explosion, but Maria was already outside of the blast radius, and Usopp's Aura had broken. He layed on the ground for a few seconds before saying, "That was annoying."

Maria laughed. "I can imagine so. Luffy praised your accuracy with a slingshot, so missing every time must have been frustrating."

"It's not the first time I had to fight someone who could predict my attacks, but this time felt even more annoying for some reason."

"My Semblance probably has something to do with that."

"And that is?"

"I call it Preflexes, it lets me react to things almost before they happen."

"That seems kind of redundant, since you can already do that with Haki."

"That's what I thought at first, but they actually work well together. Observation Haki lets me see someone's intent, and my Preflexes allows me to react to that intent almost before they even have that intent."

"Seriously? That just seems unfair."

"That's what makes it such a useful ability. And of course, my Devil Fruit and Gravity Dust lets me dodge in ways that would not normally be possible."

"I'm guessing it's the Snake-Snake fruit?"

"The Horned Viper model to be specific… I think it might just be a Kuja thing. There are two other Snake fruit users in that crew after all. I found the fruit on a voyage, but I was asked to keep my powers a secret to the Kuja populace."

"Why?"

"I didn't ask… I just knew it was important to Hancock and her sisters, so I obliged. Luffy might actually know more about their story than I do, since she did fall in love with him. You should ask him when you get back."

 _When I get back…_

* * *

Franky's jaw couldn't help but hang loosely after seeing the shattered moon.

"Hey, wolf bro, what the hell happened to the moon?"

"The name's Marrow… but what do you mean? I don't see anything strange with the moon."

"Are you blind?! It's partially shattered! In what world is that not strange?!"

Marrow couldn't help but furrow his brows in confusion. "But… it's always been like that."

 _Seriously? Then… the talk about different continents, the advanced technology, the strange monsters… Is this actually another world? How am I going to get back?! And how did I get here in the first place?!_

Franky swiftly stood up. "THIS IS NO TIME FOR ME TO BE SITTING AROUND!"

 _I have to get back!_

He was about to try and force his way out of the Manta before Marrow said, "Stay!"

Franky's body froze, and Marrow shook his head. "What was that about all of the sudden?"

Marrow cuffed Franky's arms and then released his Semblance.

"Whatever's gotten into you, you're going to wait until the General arrives, got it?"

"Grr… Like I have a choice… What the hell did you do?"

"I have no obligation to tell you."

"Fine..."

 _I might be able to force my way out of these cuffs, but I'm not sure what I'd do after that. Now that I think about it, even if I escaped from him and his strange power, I wouldn't have any means to return to my world. There wasn't even anything about inter-world travel in Vegapunk's Lab, so I'd have to start from scratch._

 _In that case, wouldn't being on the good side of these seemingly technologically advanced people be advantageous? Maybe they could help me out. Even if they don't believe me, I can come up with another reason why they might benefit from the technology as well! A super idea, if I do say so myself!_

"Hey, Marrow bro, would you believe me if I said I was from another world?"

"Absolutely not. You've said less insane things that I'm still skeptical about."

"And all of it is true. So how about it, if I can prove that what I said about my cola power and farts, you'll at least consider me being from another world as a possibility?"

"No."

"Really? Well, how do you think I just appeared in the middle of a monster infested frozen wasteland, obviously not clothed for such an occasion? I was too far inland to have been able to walk there without dying from the cold."

"Like I'd know. Maybe you just landed there after one of your 'cola powered farts'."

Franky roared with laughter, not stopping for half a minute. "You're pretty funny, bro. You know what, Franosuke is super long, so why don't you just call me Franky instead?"

"No thanks. I'll stick to Franosuke."

 _Dammit! Am I going to have to deal with this for the entire time I'm here?!_

Even though Marrow outwardly gave no inch to the thought that Franosuke might be from another world, the sheer amount of strangeness that it would explain made him thoughtful. Of course, he didn't discount the possibility that Franosuke was acting, but the evidence was enough to make him waver.

At the very least, it was something to bring up to the General and the other Ace Ops if Franosuke didn't mention it first.

"How long am I going to have to wait? I'm bored."

Marrow looked at a notification on his scroll, and then back at Franky. "It seems the General is on his way. So… maybe an hour."

"That long?!"

* * *

At the White Fang headquarters, there were around thirty or so Faunus stationed as guards. Arlong found the 28 others that were not in his throne room tied up near the exit.

All of them were Faunus capable of breathing underwater. This is because the thirty guards were among a group of underwater dwellers that were the first Faunus Arlong ever encountered in Remnant.

Even Adam knew that should they be killed, Arlong would enter blind rage and kill not only him, but every other Faunus he brought with him as well.

Freeing the tied up Faunus, Arlong explained the situation to them.

"We're sorry, if we had been able to send out a message to you before being knocked out then you could have finished off Adam before his hostages arrived!"

"The fault is with Adam, not you. I understand if you don't want to follow me anymore, but if any wish to join me, I'll be swimming to Menagerie."

"Menagerie?"

"Yes, it will be my first step on my journey to check in on the other branches of the White Fang... While it seems that the Vale and Mistral Branches are loyal to Adam, the loyalties of the Menagerie and Atlas Branches are still in question..."

"What about the Vacuo Branch?"

"I know Sienna Khan wouldn't betray me... While checking in on her followers would be a good idea, her branch isn't as much as a priority as the others. So, are you all still willing to follow me?"

"Of course!"

* * *

 **A/N: Admittedly, I didn't get as far into Usopp and Franky's plotlines as I expected to this chapter, so the part with significant plot progression is Arlong's. Something to note about Arlong is that if he was only as strong as he was when Luffy beat him, I don't think he would be _that_ much stronger than Adam. However, having Aura, a Semblance, an upgraded weapon, and 20 years on the old Arlong made him stronger than even the drugged Fishman executive that Usopp beat. **


End file.
